Somali Al-Shebab fighters gather on February 13, 2012 in Elasha Biyaha, in the Afgoei Corridor, after a demonstration to support the merger of Al-shebab and the Al-Qaeda network. Shebab insurgents staged rallies across Somalia on February 13 to celebrate their group's recognition by Osama bin Laden's successor as a member of the Islamist Al-Qaeda network. Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri announced in a video message posted on jihadist forums on February 9, 2012 that Shebab fighters had joined ranks with the Islamist network. AFP PHOTO / Mohamed Abdiwahab (Photo credit should read Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images)
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01:37 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

An Al-Shabaab leader wanted by the United States has died in Somalia, the Somali-based militant group announced Thursday.

A mouthpiece radio channel for the group carried a message saying Sheikh Hassan Turki (also known as Hassan Abillahi Hersi Turki) died Wednesday. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

Turki was believed to be in his 70s and had transitioned from being a military leader into a spiritual figurehead after falling ill.

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The United States first sanctioned him in 2004 for alleged links to terror attacks and association with al Qaeda.

The U.N. Security Council said Turki played a role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

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