Somalia authorities say Al-Shabab co-founder, Abdullahi Nadir has been killed in an air strike.
Abdullahi Nadir, next in line for leadership of the Islamist militant group died in state air strike last Monday.
The information ministry statement did not specify which international partners were involved in the strike that killed Abdullahi Nadir.
Read also: More than 20 people killed following Al-Shabab militants attack on Somali food convoy
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared a “total war” against the Al-Shabab group in the country.
Somali authorities said on Monday that the top Al-Shabab militant had been killed in a joint airstrike.
The strike was launched on October 1 by the Somali army and international partner forces.
The Monday strike killed Abdullahi Nadir, also known as Abdullahi Yare, near the town of Haramka, Somalia’s information ministry said.
The United States had earlier placed a $3 million (E3.1 million) bounty on Nadir’s head.
Abdullahi Nadir was the head preacher of the group(Al-Shabab) and one of the most notorious members of the group,” statement by the Somali ministry said.
“He was former head of the Shura council and the group’s director for finances,” the ministry added.
The Shura council is a consultation group within al-Shabab.
Nadir was a co-founder of the group and was next in line for leadership as the group’s (Al-Shabab) current leader, Ahmed Diriye, who is currently bed ridden.
Somalia government described the elimination of the terrorist group’s co-founder as a great news in the fight against the group.
“His death is like a thorn removed from Somalia as a nation,” the ministry declared.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud vowed to wage a “total war” to rid the country of the militant group.
Recently elected president declared a total war on the Islamist group following string of deadly attacks on both the state security forces as well as civilians.
The deadly attacks carried out by the group include a 30-hour siege on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu that killed 21 people.
Somalia’s military is backed by US forces and the African Union peacekeeping mission.
