Pentagon Confirms Death of al-Shabab Co-founder

The DoD News offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2014 - Ahmed Abdi al-Muhammad, also known Ahmed Godane, the co-founder of the al-Shabab jihadist group, was killed Sept. 1 in a U.S. airstrike in Somalia, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby confirmed today.

"The U.S. military undertook operations against Godane on Sept. 1, which led to his death," Kirby said in a statement. "Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss" to al-Shabab," Kirby said in a statement. "The United States works in coordination with its friends, allies and partners to counter the regional and global threats posed by violent extremist
organizations."

At a Sept. 2 Pentagon news conference, Kirby said manned and unmanned aircraft operated by U.S. special operations forces participated in an airstrike that destroyed an al-Shabab encampment and a vehicle located at that camp. Kirby added that the operation was a direct strike against the al-Shabab network, and specifically against Godane.

The operation was carried out after actionable intelligence was obtained that suggested that Godane was present at the camp, located south of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the press secretary said at the news conference, noting that it was too early to tell whether the strike had killed him.

The aircraft fired several Hellfire missiles and laser-guided munitions, and no U.S. forces were present on the ground, either before or after the attack, he added.

Al-Shabab is a jihadist group based in Somalia. It has claimed responsibility for last year's attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which resulted in more than 70 deaths and 200 injured. The group is also believed to be responsible for many bombings, including suicide attacks in Mogadishu and in central and northern Somalia, Kirby said Sept. 2.

Somali Airstrike Targeted al-Shabab Leader, Camp, Pentagon Spokesman Says

Claudette Roulo at the DoD News offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2014 - Manned and unmanned aircraft operated by U.S. special operations forces participated in an airstrike yesterday in Somalia that destroyed an al-Shabab encampment and a vehicle located at that camp, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby (seen in the above DoD photo) said today.

Kirby said the operation was a direct strike against the al-Shabab network, and specifically, the group's leader, Ahmed Abdi al-Muhammad, also known Ahmed Godane. The operation was carried out after actionable intelligence was obtained that suggested that Godane was present at the camp, located south of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the press secretary said.

It's too early to know whether Godane was killed as a result of the airstrikes, Kirby said, adding that if he were, it would be a "very significant blow to their network, to their organization and, we believe, to their ability to continue to conduct terrorist attacks."

The aircraft fired several Hellfire missiles and laser-guided munitions, he said, noting that the Defense Department is still assessing the results of the operation. "We certainly believe that we hit what we were aiming at," the press secretary said. "And based on intelligence that, as I said, we believe was actionable -- in other words, strong enough -- we took this strike."

No U.S. forces were present on the ground, either before or after the attack, he noted. Al-Shabab is a jihadist group based in Somalia. It has claimed responsibility for last year's attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which resulted in more than 70 deaths and 200 injured. The group is also believed to be responsible for many bombings, including suicide attacks in Mogadishu and in central and northern Somalia, the admiral said.

These attacks typically target officials and perceived allies of the current federal government of Somalia and the former transitional federal government of Somalia, Kirby said.

Al-Shabab has occupied most of southern Somalia since 2006, he said. It has claimed responsibility for the deaths of numerous government officials, aid workers, peace activists and journalists and was named as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department in 2008.

"They've also continued to plan plots targeting Westerners, including U.S. personnel in East Africa," the press secretary said. "In recent months, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Djibouti that killed a Turkish national and wounded several Western soldiers, as well as a car bomb at the Mogadishu Airport that targeted and killed members of the United Nations convoy."

The operation is an example of the commitment of the U.S. government and its allies and partners to the people and government of Somalia "to detect, deter, disrupt and defeat violent extremists who threaten progress in the region, as well as threaten to conduct terrorist attacks against innocent people around the world," Kirby said.

The United States will continue to use all of the tools at its disposal, he said -- including finance, diplomacy, intelligence and military force -- to dismantle al-Shabab and other terrorist groups that threaten U.S. interests and those of U.S. allies and partners. 

U.S. Defense Department: Employ Multi-Prong Strategy to Confront ISIL

Amaani Lyle at the DoD News offers the below link:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2014 - The Defense Department believes the best way to confront the threat presented by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists will require a regional, international, and interagency approach, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters today.

Part of the mission in thwarting ISIL now involves "supporting, advising, assisting, helping Iraqi security forces and Kurdish forces blunt the momentum," Kirby said.

"We believe we've succeeded in blunting that momentum. But it's also about protecting U.S. personnel and facilities, including some of the airstrikes that we're conducting inside Iraq."

Kirby acknowledged that ISIL's swift growth in capability stems from the group's criminal activity resourcing, as well as donations, ransoms and the group's sanctuary in Syria. He said the U.S. military should be one of many components in use to prevent ISIL from leveraging those resources.

"You're not going to see the answer to all ISIL problems through a military lens," Kirby said. "We are conducting operations inside Iraq against this group, in support of Iraqis and Kurdish forces, but we're not going to be the only tool in the toolbox that can or should be used."

Assessment teams will continue to monitor ISIL's activities, Kirby said. "It's what led us to where we are today," he said, "which is that we believe it does pose an imminent threat, and it's a threat that we need to take seriously."

Pentagon Announces Capture of Key Figure in Benghazi Attacks

The American Forces Press Service offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2014 - In cooperation with law enforcement personnel June 15, the U.S. military captured a key figure in the September 2012 attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.

In a statement, Kirby said Ahmed Abu Khatallah is in U.S. custody in a secure location outside of Libya.

There were no civilian casualties related to this operation, and all U.S. personnel involved in the operation have safely left Libya, Kirby added.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel later released a statement commending everyone involved in the operation.

"I want to commend all the service members who were involved in the planning and execution of the operation to capture Ahmed Abu Khatallah," he said. "Their tireless efforts may only be known to a few, but are felt by all Americans who are proud of what they do every day to defend this nation. This successful counterterrorism operation is another example of the extraordinary capabilities of the United States military and our unrelenting commitment to hold accountable those who harm American citizens."

Note: The above Defense Department photo shows Admiral Kirby at the Pentagon.

Navy SEALs Board Rogue Libya Oil Tanker Morning Glory

 

The American Forces Press Service offers the below piece:

 

WASHINGTON, Mar. 17, 2014 - American forces yesterday boarded and took control of a commercial tanker ship that was seized earlier this month by three armed Libyans, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a Defense Department news release issued today.

 

"No one was hurt tonight when U.S. forces, at the request of both the Libyan and Cypriot governments, boarded and took control of the commercial tanker 'Morning Glory,' a stateless vessel seized earlier this month by three armed Libyans," Kirby said in the release.

 

The boarding operation, approved by President Barack Obama and conducted just after 10 p.m. EDT on March 16 in international waters southeast of Cyprus, was executed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs attached to Special Operations Command Europe, Kirby added.

 

"The SEAL team embarked and operated from the guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt," Kirby said in the release. The USS Roosevelt provided helicopter support and served as a command and control and support platform for the other members of the force assigned to conduct the mission, he said.

 

"The 'Morning Glory' is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company," Kirby said in the release. "The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra."

The "Morning Glory" will be underway soon to a port in Libya with a team of sailors from the USS Stout embarked, Kirby said. The sailors will be supervising the transit, he added.

The USS Roosevelt is homeported in Mayport, Fla. and is deployed as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Kirby said, adding that the USS Stout is homeported in Norfolk, Va.

Note: The above photo of the USS Roosevelt was released by the U.S. Navy.