British Shebab fighter killed in Somalia: Shebab

MOGADISHU - Agence France-Presse

AP photo

A British fighter with the Shebab militia in Somalia was killed Saturday during a drone attack in the capital Mogadishu, said the movement's spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage.

"This afternoon unmanned aircrafts bombed and killed our brother Hilal Al Barzawi from Lebanon with British citizenship who fought in Somalia for a long time," he told reporters.

He added that they were not yet sure to whom the aircraft belonged, "but it is America that is known for utilizing such aircraft." The announcement came as Somalia's transitional government forces vowed Saturday to rid Mogadishu of all "violent elements".

On Friday they launched a major offensive aimed at dislodging the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militia from the capital.