Both the U.S. Africa Command and Somalia’s government said the airstrike killed a member of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group. But officials at Hormuud said the airstrike killed their local manager in Jilib.
A Somali intelligence official said the man targeted by the airstrike appeared to have been on the security radar, but he declined to confirm whether officials were aware that their target was a telecom worker. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.