Pentagon confirms senior al-Shabaab leader killed in Somalia

The Pentagon confirmed Monday that a senior al-Shabaab leader targeted in a drone strike in Somalia last week was killed in the attack.

Hassan Ali Dhoore, who was killed Thursday, allegedly was part of the insurgent group's security and intelligence wing, and had been involved in planning attacks in Mogadishu.

"The Department of Defense has confirmed that Hassan Ali Dhoore, a senior leader of Al-Shebaab, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, was killed as a result of a US military strike in Somalia carried out on March 31," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

"He has planned and overseen attacks resulting in the death of at least three US citizens," he added.

Al-Shabaab militants have claimed responsibility for a string of recent attacks including a twin bombing at a busy restaurant in the Somali city of Baidoa in February.

The strike against Dhoore comes less than a month after US drones and warplanes hammered a al-Shabaab training camp in Somalia, killing more than 150 fighters the Pentagon said were prepping for a "large-scale" attack.