Two U.S.-born Jihadis killed in Yemen; could Hammami be next?
The killing of two U.S.-born Jihadi leaders, Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, in Yemen by a U.S. air strike this morning dealt a devastating blow to al-Qaida's propaganda machine and leaves Omar Hammami (pictured), a 26-year-old Al Shabaab soldier in Somalia, as one of the last American-born Qaida leaders still at large.
I profiled Hammami, who has taken the name Abu Mansour al-Amriki, for “Vanguard” last year in a piece entitled “American Jihadi.” In February, I broke the news to his best friend, Bernie, in Hammami’s native Alabama, that Somalia's defense minister claimed he had been killed in a skirmish with interim-government troops. It was a day he and his family had feared would come, but no one was quite prepared to hear. After many tears were shed, Hammami was discovered to be alive about two weeks later and was photographed at a news conference of the Al Shabaab extremist group after the killing of Osama bin Laden by Navy Seals in Pakistan.
Like Awlaki, Hammami has been portrayed as a leader of Qaida forces in the field and has made propaganda videos to promote a call for global Jihad. But Hammami, too, is now in retreat. Al Shabaab insurgents withdrew from the Somali capital of Mogadishu last month, and signs indicate their five-year struggle for control of the failed state is flagging.
The Obama administration, building on a wealth of intelligence gathered in recent years and a digital treasure trove captured from bin Laden's hideout when he was killed, is closing in on the key figures in al-Qaida, and is unapologetic about crossing international borders to pursue them.
Having followed Hammami and Al Shabaab’s movements for several years, I was beginning to think they’d always be able to elude capture or avoid getting killed. Despite numerous coordinated attacks by the U.S., Ethiopia, and the Somali interim-government, Hammami always seemed to pop up again online with another Jihadi rap song. Awlaki reportedly was being tracked for about three weeks before a drone strike took out a convoy in which he was riding with Khan and other members of his organization. With the U.S. increasing its drone strikes, it could very well be that Hammami’s days are now numbered, as well.
Catch re-airings of "American Jihadi" on Saturday. For airtimes, click here.
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Xavier_B
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im glad that the obama administration is taking a strong stance on this. one of the greatest concerns i had before he was elected was that he wouldnt be tough enough on terror. clearly, those fears were groundless; he and his administration have been very aggressive in pursuing high-level targets worldwide.
- 8 months ago
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Xavier_B
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Victoria_Abramson
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just to let you know they cant kill them all
- 8 months ago
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Victoria_Abramson
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malathion
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good. there are plenty more like him right here in the US that need to be killed too.
- 8 months ago
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malathion
