MOGADISHU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's Ministry of Defense has confirmed the killing of a senior al-Shabab leader in charge of finance during a targeted operation carried out on Sunday in the country's southwestern region.

The ministry said Abdullahi Abukar Ali, al-Shabab's head of finance who was responsible for managing funds extorted from civilians and coordinating the recruitment of child soldiers, was killed near Hudur town in the Bakool region.

"Abukar was a key operative who had long operated in Bakool under al-Shabab's control and was among the most sought-after figures in the group," it said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Sunday evening.

The ministry commended the successful operation carried out by the Somali National Army, which resulted in the killing of Abukar, saying the precision operation eliminated a significant threat and dealt a major blow to al-Shabab's operational network in the region.

The latest operation came a day after the allied forces recaptured the strategic town of Bariire, which al-Shabab had used as a launchpad for terrorist attacks in the region and Mogadishu. ■