Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha
Tripoli: Over a couple of weeks after militants perpetrated Kenya mall attack that claimed 67 lives, US special forces launched twin raid in Africa, one targeting an al Shabab leader in Somalia and another to nab al Qaeda leader in Libya.
The US troops assisted by the CIA and FBI carried out the raids in Africa with the attack in Somalia being carried out by US Navy SEALs Team six – famous for launching Osama raid.
Ending a 15-year old manhunt for an al Qaeda leader who was indicted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, US commandos captured Abu Anas al-Liby from Tripoli.
The Libyan Qaeda militant, al-Liby, who was born Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai had a bounty worth $5 million on his head.
Liby was also on FBI’s Most Wanted List.
Pentagon spokesman George Little confirmed the capture of Liby and said that he was being held in a “secret location outside of Libya”.
“As the result of a US counterterrorism operation, Abu Anas al-Libi is currently lawfully detained by the US military in a secure location,`` Liittle said in a statement.
It was not yet clear whether another raid that targeted an al Shabab leader at his seaside villa in Somalia was successful.
US Navy SEALs raided the seaside villa of the al Shabab leader who is suspected to be behind Kenya mall attack.
The raid was carried out by Navy Seal Team Six – the unit famous for Osama raid in Abbottabad.
But in Somalia, the commandos faced a fierce fight by the militants and after a 20-minute firefight, they had to retreat back.
The raid on al Shaba militant comes more after the terror outfit claimed the Kenya mall attack that killed 67 people.
