The Somalia based insurgent group al-Shabab has dismissed a report by the Kenyan army that its intelligence chief Mohammed Karatey had been killed in an air strike.
"The person they claimed they killed is safe and sound. None of our camps have been attacked in any way. They are telling lies to please their people after we killed their troops in El-Adde," the group's military operations spokesman, Abdiaziz Abu Mus'ab, told Al Jazeera.
According to the Kenyans, Karatey and 10 other al-Shabab commanders were killed in a strike in southern Somalia ten days ago on 8 February.
The Kenyan army statement stated in parts: "The Kenya Defence Forces, under AMISOM operations, would like to confirm that Mahad Mohammed Karate... and 10 other middle-level commanders were killed in a major KDF strike in southern Somalia,"
"The killing ... is a major blow to the terrorist group," the statement added.
Al-Shabab's intelligence wing has been responsible for suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other surrounding countries. The wing also provides logistics and support for the group's operations throughout the Horn of Africa.
The US government had placed a $5m bounty on Karate.
A US Rewards for Justice wanted notice said: "Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of the Shabab responsible for assassinations and the April 2, 2015 attack on Garissa University College."
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