The New York Times quotes Africa Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Rudolph Atallah on US counterterrorism efforts in Somalia aimed at the militant organization al-Shabaab:
Still, American counterterrorism and intelligence officials greeted news of the airstrike with cautious optimism.
“If true, this will be a huge blow to Shabab, especially if Godane’s inner circle was wiped out in the strike,” said Rudolph Atallah, a former director of African counterterrorism policy for the Pentagon. “We’ve been after Godane for a long time. Having him out of the picture,” he said, would give Somalia “breathing room to make positive strides on all fronts.”