... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
A turban source and sources close to the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
mission in Somalia tells VOA Somali service that Ahmed Abdi Godane was in the vicinity of the drone attack, which took place north of Barawe, in the Lower Shabelle region.
The Pentagon on Wednesday said its analysts are still assessing the results of what a front man called "a coordinated operation" in southern Somalia.
The Somali turban source says Godane is alive, although it is not clear whether the al-Shabaab leader was injured.
A senior aide of Godane's, Ahmed Abdulkadir -- known as "Iskudhuuq -- was killed along with his driver Sunday when their car was hit by a missile.
The sources in Somalia say Godane and Iskudhuuq may have had a meeting right before the attack, and that Godane was supposed to travel in the car that was targeted.
They say al-Shabaab has since detained several people in Barawe on suspicion of spying.
On Monday, U.S. Defense Department front man Colonel Steve Warren confirmed the drone attack but offered few details.
The U.S. military has repeatedly used drone strikes to target al-Shabaab leaders in Somalia. In October, a U.S. drone hit a vehicle carrying senior members of the al-Qaeda-linked group, killing its top explosives expert.