The United States on Monday confirmed the deaths of senior leaders of al-Shabaab and Daesh in separate strikes carried out in Libya and Somalia.
"The Department of Defense confirms that Abdirahman Sandhere, also known as 'Ukash,' a senior leader of the al Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabaab, is dead as a result of a U.S. military airstrike in Somalia undertaken on Dec. 2," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement.
He added that two other al-Shabaab associates were also killed in the strike that targeted Sandhere but he did not give details.
"The United States will continue to use the tools at our disposal -- financial, diplomatic, intelligence and military -- to dismantle al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups who threaten United States, interests and persons," he said.
The Pentagon also confirmed that a Daesh leader operating in Libya named Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al Zubaydi, was also killed in an airstrike Nov. 13.
A Pentagon spokesman said Abu Nabil was an Iraqi national and a longtime al-Qaeda operative in Libya.
"While not the first U.S. strike against terrorists in Libya, this was the first U.S. strike against a Daesh leader in Libya," he said.
