US places $10 million bounty on Al-Shabaab fighter linked to Manda Bay raid

WASHINGTON - In what could significantly impact the fight against Al-Shabaab militants in East Africa, the US government has placed a $10 million bounty on Abdullahi Banati, a suspected al-Shabaab militant allegedly behind the Manda Bay terror attack.

The 2020 terror attack, which took the lives of three US citizens, including a serviceman, was the first major attack by the militants on a US base within East Africa, leading to an endless search for attackers.

The Department of State Rewards for Justice (RFJ), which was established in 1984 to combat international terrorism, has asked anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of Abdullahi to come forward with the information for quick action.

"Two DoD contractor pilots, both US citizens, were killed when their military aircraft was hit by RPGs on the tarmac of the airfield. A third DoD contractor, also a US citizen, survived the explosion with serious injuries," reads the RFJ's U.S. Army specialist.

A Kenyan soldier was also wounded during the attack. Abdullahi is said to be a member of the Jaysh al-Ayman, an elite group entrusted to carry out attacks on Kenyan soil. It is named after one of its notorious leaders, Maalim Ayman, also known as Dobow Abdiaziz Ali, an ethnic Somali from Mandera County.

Abdullahi Banati was one of the individuals involved in the operational planning of the January 5, 2020, attack on Manda Bay Airfield. Al-Shabaab — al-Qa'ida's principal affiliate in East Africa — is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Kenya, Somalia, and neighbouring countries that have killed thousands of people, including US citizens," the RFJ website reads.

Two years ago, Maskim Ayman was also placed on the list of most wanted men over the links to the Manda Naval Base attack, which caught the US army unprepared. Senior US Africa Command commanders had also condemned the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for failing to act swiftly.

The January 5 attack, which saw approximately 30 to 40 militants launch mortar rounds and fire rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at the base, led to the deaths of four American soldiers. Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Manda Bay Airfield, which is heavily fortified and with support from a US base in Djibouti, trains the East Africa Quick Reaction Force, which enhances security within the region and safeguards America's interests.

The US Department of State designated al-Shabaab as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in March 2008. The group is under severe attack both in Kenya and Somalia following coordinated operations by the two countries.

GAROWE ONLINE