Target of US raid in Somalia was al-Shabab operator, planned attacks in Kenya

Nairobi: A U.S. official says the target of raid by Navy SEALs in Somalia over the weekend was a Kenyan man named Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir. A Kenyan government intelligence document names him as the coordinator of other planned attacks. [caption id=“attachment_1157861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Armed al-Shabab fighters. AP image[/caption]

The man, also known as Ikrima, was a known operator for the Somali militant group al-Shabab. The document says that foiled plots by Abdulkadir included plans to target Kenya’s parliament building and the U.N. office in Nairobi, as well as an Ethiopian restaurant patronized by Somali government officials. It does not appear that Saturday’s raid resulted in the killing or capture of Abdulkadir. The U.S. official who confirmed the target of the SEAL raid insisted on anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter. AP