Ahmed Godane , the leader of the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab , was killed this week in a U.S. military operation , the Pentagon said Friday . `` The U.S. military undertook operations against Godane on Sept. 1 , which led to his death . Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss to Al-Shabaab , '' said Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby . On Monday , U.S. military conducted a strike in the African country targeting Godane , who had pledged allegiance to al Qaeda . He headed Al-Shabaab as it terrorized East Africa , killing Somali officials , aid workers and others in a spate of suicide bombings . Godane allegedly was behind 2013 's deadly siege of a Nairobi , Kenya , shopping mall . Before this week 's strike , the U.S. military was tipped off to what Kirby called `` actionable intelligence ... strong enough '' to suggest Godane 's whereabouts . In response , U.S. commandos flew -- aided by drones -- into an area south of the Somali capital , Mogadishu , around 6:20 p.m. ( 11:20 a.m . ET ) Monday . Abdikadir Mohamed Nur Sidii , governor of Somalia 's Lower Shabelle region , characterized the attack near the port city of Barawe as so ferocious `` it jolted the entire region . '' Sidii said , `` I never heard such a huge and deafening blast as the result of the airstrike . '' Earlier this week , Kirby did n't elaborate on how much firepower was involved , beyond the use of Hellfire and laser-guided missiles . Somali intelligence officials counted at least four such missiles . After the attack , an Al-Shababb Twitter account said one person was killed but asserted it was n't Godane . `` 'Ahmed Abdi Godane ' is alive and doing fine , '' the tweet said , calling itself an `` official mujahedin account '' in the Islamic land of Somalia . At the time , CNN was unable to verify the authenticity of that claim on Twitter . The man behind Al-Shabaab . Godane , who was also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubayr , became the leader of Al-Shabaab in 2008 . Traditionally , Al-Shabaab focused on bringing Islamic rule to Somalia , attracting dozens of ethnic Somalis -- and a few Westerners -- from the United States and Europe . But last year Godane seemed to be refocusing the group on terrorist attacks beyond Somalia -- against East African states supporting the Somali government , especially Uganda and Kenya , and against Western interests in East Africa . The September 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Kenya 's capital was Al-Shabaab 's most audacious , but the massacre that left 67 people dead was n't the group 's first strike outside Somalia . In 2010 , Al-Shabaab carried out suicide bombings in the Ugandan capital , Kampala , in which more than 70 people were killed . Still , the Westgate siege demonstrated Godane 's desire to align his group more closely with al Qaeda . In a taped message afterward , he noted the attack took place `` just 10 days after the anniversary date of the blessed 9/11 operations . '' Under Godane , Al-Shabaab became a formal ally of al Qaeda . The move led to dissent in the group , which Godane dealt with ruthlessly , using his control of Al-Shabaab 's intelligence wing . The American jihadist Omar Hammami was reportedly killed in September 2013 after criticizing Godane 's leadership and his treatment of foreign fighters . Godane was said to be 37 years old , and was originally from Somaliland in northern Somalia . He was slim to the point of wispy , as seen in the few photographs of him , and preferred recording audio messages to appearing in public . A former Somali prime minister , Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke , once described Godane as the cleverest of Al-Shabaab 's leaders . The U.S. government 's Rewards for Justice program listed him under another alias , Ahmed Abdi Aw-Mohamed , and offered up to $ 7 million last year for information leading to his location .
Al-Shabaab was the leader of Ugandan militant group Al-Shabaab . He allegedly was behind this week 's deadly siege of a Kenya , Kenya , shopping mall . U.S. military attack killed him this week , Pentagon says . His death is `` a major symbolic and operational loss to Ahmed Godane , '' official says .