Mohamed Dulyadayn

Mohamed Dulyadayn, al-Shabab’s military leader for Somalia’s Juba region, is believed to have been killed in a raid on June 1, 2016, alongside four other al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia.Cyrus Ombati, “Garissa University terror attack mastermind killed in raid,” Standard Digital (Nairobi), June 2, 2016, http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000203731/garissa-university-terror-attack-mastermind-killed-in-raid. U.S. officials stated that the raid was carried out by Somali Special Forces with American support.Lolita Baldor, “US drone strike targets al-Shabab commander in Somalia,” Associated Press, June 1, 2016, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/000a88c13d2c4e0786d4cf568e7d2b07/us-drone-strike-targets-al-shabab-commander-somalia.

Dulyadayn was reportedly responsible for orchestrating the April 2015 attack at Kenya’s Garissa University, which killed 148 people in the single deadliest attack launched by al-Shabab to date.“Kenya attack: 147 dead in Garissa University assault,” BBC News, April 2, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32169080. In the months leading up to his death in 2016, Dulyadayn is believed to have been responsible for intensified attacks in northern Kenya and in the country’s coastal region, including the cities of Garissa, Mandera, and Lamu.Cyrus Ombati, “Garissa University terror attack mastermind killed in raid,” Standard Digital (Nairobi), June 2, 2016, http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000203731/garissa-university-terror-attack-mastermind-killed-in-raid.

Dulyadayn had evaded Kenyan, Somali, and even U.S. authorities for years. In 2015, it was falsely reported that Dulyadayn was killed in a U.S. drone strike. The claim was quickly retracted by Kenyan authorities.Cyrus Ombati, “Garissa University terror attack mastermind killed in raid,” Standard Digital (Nairobi), June 2, 2016, http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000203731/garissa-university-terror-attack-mastermind-killed-in-raid.

Before his reported death, Dulyadayn was involved with al-Shabab for more than 15 years. He joined the terror group in 2000 in the hopes of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Somalia. Prior to joining al-Shabab, Dulyadayn was a teacher and worked for an Islamic charitable foundation. From 1993 to 1995, Dulyadayn worked for Al-Haramain Foundation in Somalia. He then worked as a teacher and principal at a madrassa (Islamic school) in Garissa, from 1997 to 2000Cyrus Ombati, “Garissa University terror attack mastermind killed in raid,” Standard Digital (Nairobi), June 2, 2016, http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000203731/garissa-university-terror-attack-mastermind-killed-in-raid..

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Al-Shabab
Type(s) of Organization:
Insurgent, non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Al-Qaeda affiliated group, Islamist, jihadist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri, Wahhabi
Position(s):
Military leader for Somalia’s Juba region

Al-Qaeda’s Somali-based branch, al-Shabaab, seeks to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state. The group has carried out a score of violent terror attacks, including the September 2013 Westgate Mall attacks in Nairobi, Kenya.

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We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].

Abu Ali al-Askari, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) Security Official Mar. 2023
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