The US State Department has offered a $10 million (Sh1.2 billion) reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of three al-Shabaab leaders, bringing the total reward value to Sh3.6 billion.
"The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is increasing its reward offers to up to $10 million each for information leading to the identification or location of al-Shabaab key leaders Ahmed Diriye, Mahad Karate, and Jehad Mostafa," the government agency said in a statement on Monday.
Mr Diriye, al-Shabaab’s emir since September 2014, is linked to the 2020 attack on Camp Simba in Manda Bay that killed one American soldier and two US contractors. Mr Karate is al-Shabaab’s second or shadow deputy emir, and maintains some command responsibility over Amniyat, al-Shabaab’s intelligence and security wing, the US said.
According to the FBI, Mr Mostafa is the highest-ranking terrorist with US citizenship fighting overseas.
The US embassy in Nairobi says the three are responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Somalia, Kenya and neighbouring countries.
"Jehad Mostafa is a former resident of California. Mostafa has served as a military instructor at al-Shabaab training camps, a leader of foreign fighters, a leader in al-Shabaab’s media wing, an intermediary between al-Shabaab and other terrorist organizations, and a leader in al-Shabaab’s use of explosives in terrorist attacks," the embassy said.
It added: "In December 2019, he was indicted in federal court on charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiring to provide material support to al-Shabaab, and providing material support to al-Shabaab."
