The United States late Thursday issued sanctions against two high-level al-Shabaab militants linked to attacks in Kenya and Somalia.
In a statement released by the State Department, Ahmad Iman Ali and Abdifatah Abubakar Abdi were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) for their involvement in terrorist attacks in Somalia and Kenya. The move blocks all property and interests in property within the US and prohibits transactions with them.
According to the State Department, Ali is a prominent al-Shabaab commander who has directed of the group’s Kenyan operations, which has targeted Kenyan African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops in Somalia. He is also responsible for al-Shabaab propaganda targeting the Kenyan government and civilians.
Abdi, who was also placed on the Kenyan government’s wanted list of suspected al-Shabaab members, is wanted in connection with the June 2014, attack in Mpeketoni, Kenya that claimed more than 50 lives,
Goobsan Media