Militant group al-Shabab said one of its top commanders, Mohamed Mire, was killed in a drone strike near Kunyo Barrow in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region.

Al-Shabab did not say when the strike took place but blamed the United States for the killing. The U.S. Africa Command did not immediately respond to VOA requests for comment on the reported strike.

In a statement, Somalia’s Ministry of Information said the operation was “well-planned” and conducted in coordination with international partners — an acknowledgement that a second party was involved in the operation. It said the Somali government and partners have been hunting Mire for a long time.

Lower Shabelle Region Governor Mohamed Ibrahim Barre told VOA’s Horn of Africa Service that the operation occurred two days ago.

Barre said Mire was traveling from the town of Jilib to Kunyo Barrow when he was targeted about 8 kilometers outside the town.

Mire was head of al-Shabab’s regions department (Wilayaat), the militant group’s equivalent of an interior ministry. He also held multiple other positions within the group.

In July, Somalia’s anti-money laundering committee issued a sanctions list targeting Mire and seven other al-Shabab commanders.

U.S. officials designated Mire a global terrorist in October 2022, describing him as a senior al-Shabab leader responsible for the group’s strategic decision-making and head of the group’s interior wing, overseeing many of the group’s activities in Somalia.