The militant commander, who was named Rajah Abu Khalid, a Yemen national, was reported that he was seriously wounded with 13 other fighters and was taken to an Alshabab medical facility in Jowhar district, 90kms from the north of Mogadishu.

“Martyr Rajah Abu Khalid, succumbed in Jowhar hospital last night, he died several hours later when he was wounded” said an Alshabab sources in conditions of anonymity.

“He was the replacer of  Abu Musab, the commander of Alqaeda cell in Alshabab in East Africa who died in Mogadishu several months ago” the source added.

The transitional government forces confirmed the death of Rajah Abu Khalid and called his death as a loss to Alshabab and its Alqaeda allies.

The commander of government’s infantry forces told Sunatimes that they killed several foreign fighters including the commander of Alqaeda cell in Mogadishu who was leading the fighting in north of Mogadishu.

The commander said that On Saturday they killed 13 foreign fighters, among them the most senior of the Alqaeda armed cell in Alshabab Rajah Abu Khalid.

He promised to confirm the names of the others and published them to the media. According to the government the man was the most senior foreign fighter killed in Somalia since the death of Abu Musab, his predecessor, who was killed by the government forces in fighting.

Alshabab militants and its Alqaeda ally are fighting to overthrow the transitional government of Somalia led by President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a relatively moderate Islamist who is backed by the international community.