The Pentagon confirmed Wednesday that a March 12 drone strike killed al-Shabaab ringleader Adan Garar, who planned the Kenyan Westgate Mall attack in 2013.
The violent assault on the high-end mall favored by Westerners lasted for four days. The assailants trapped shoppers and then forced them to prove they were Muslims or face execution.
The attack left almost 70 people dead, including a prominent Kenyan broadcaster and several women and children who were attending a cooking class inside the mall.
On Wednesday the Pentagon said the drone strike killed Garar while he was in a vehicle near Diinsoor, Somalia.
“Garar was a key operative responsible for coordinating al-Shabaab’s external operations, which target U.S. persons and other Western interests in order to further al Qaeda’s goals and objectives,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “He posed a major threat to the region and the international community and was connected to the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya. His death has dealt another significant blow to the al Shabaab terrorist organization in Somalia.”
