Kenya army: Air raid kills al-Shabab’s intelligence chief

Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohamed Warsame, was responsible for the recent attack on Garissa University College in Kenya that resulted in almost 150 deaths. The claims have not been verified by an independent source. Al Shabaab gunmen attacked a beach earlier this year, killing more than a dozen people, and in February a suicide bomber linked to the group detonated a bomb on a plane leaving Mogadishu’s global airport. Kenya celebrated saying the killing was a major blow to the Islamist group.

Karate had gone to the camp to preside over a graduation ceremony for an estimated 80 recruits into the Amniyat wing of al-Shabab, Mr Obonyo said.

“The Shebab’s intelligence wing is involved in the execution of suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other countries in the region, and provides logistics and support for Shebab terrorist operations throughout the Horn of Africa”, it added.

Karate was also the deputy of former Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane, killed in a United States drone strike in September 2014.

He played a key role in last month’s deadly attack on a Kenyan military base in Somalia, the army said.

Last June, Mr Kenyatta promised a new campaign to stop people joining violent radical groups and to fight the influence of al-Shabaab, saying conventional policing methods would not be enough to tackle the threat from radicalised men and women.

Al Shabaab claimed that it killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers in that attack and took others hostage during dawn raid on the army camp, which lies near the Kenyan border.

Al-Shabab wants to topple Somalia’s weak government and has launched extremist attacks on neighbouring countries that have sent peace-keeping troops to back Somalia’s government.

The Shabab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced plans for the special correctional facility in a speech heard by Reuters on Wednesday.