Al-Shabaab has been described as the most lethal militant Islamist group in Africa by the Pentagon-supported Africa Center for Strategic Studies, which linked the terrorist organization's activities to 1,831 fatalities in the first half of 2017. The group seeks to run Somalia under a strict interpretation of Shariah law.

A USA air strike killed a member of the Somali Islamist group Al Shabab in southwestern Somalia, making a total of four opponents killed this week, a statement said. He is facing a minimum of 30 years in prison and a maximum of life.

A Baltimore-raised man who authorities say traveled to Somalia and became a fighter for an extremist group pleaded guilty Friday to federal terrorism charges in NY.

Jones was taken into custody by Somali authorities on December 7 while he was attempting to procure a boat to depart for Yemen, according to prosecutors. He is to be sentenced January 25.

Authorities said Jones trained with the group for three months, reading and interpreting the Koran and learning how to handle weapons, including an AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenades.

According to court documents, he confessed to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents that he fought Kenyan government soldiers in a battle until he was injured. He admitted he was paid $100 monthly by al-Shabab for four years, officials said.

Source-hitechbeacon.com