Al-Qaeda official killed in US drone strike in Somalia

A US drone strike has killed an al-Qaeda official who was allegedly a British citizen, fighting alongside insurgents in Somalia.

Three missiles fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle hit Bilal al-Berjawi’s car on the outskirts of Mogadishu, according to a statement from the insurgent al-Kataib media foundation.

The militant group al-Shabaab said Berjawi was a British and Lebanese citizen who grew up in London and fought in Afghanistan before going to Somalia in 2006. But the Foreign Office denied he was a British citizen, although it could not confirm whether he had lived in the UK.

“Today, brother Bilal al-Berjawi was exposed to bombing from a drone that is believed to be American,” al-Kataib said. “He was martyred immediately.”

The strike was confirmed by a US official in Washington.