The Department of State also announced on Monday that it was increasing the reward for information on top al-Shabab leaders to $10m through its Rewards for Justice programme.
“Al-Shabaab is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Somalia, Kenya, and neighboring countries that have killed thousands of people, including US citizens,” the department said in a statement.
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Washington is seeking information on al-Shabab’s “emir”, Ahmed Diriye; his second-in-command, Mahad Karate; and Jehad Mostafa, an American citizen whom the State Department described as a leader of the group’s foreign fighters and media wing and the “highest-ranking terrorist with US citizenship fighting overseas”.
The State Department linked Diriye to a 2020 attack on a military base in Kenya that killed one US soldier and two contractors. The Rewards for Justice programme previously offered up to $6m for information on Diriye, who is also known as Abu Ubaidah.
Al-Shabab has intensified its attacks in Somalia as it has fought with government forces in recent weeks.
