Somalia’s al-Shabab militant group has reportedly appointed a new leader after it confirmed the death of its former head Ahmed Abdi Godane in a recent US airstrike.

In a statement issued on Saturday, al-Shabab said Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah will replace Godane, who had been killed after US forces pounded his encampment in south-central Somalia earlier this week.

According to the al-Shabab statement, two of Godane’s companions also died in the attack.

The militant group further promised revenge for Godane’s death, warning its enemies against the consequences of killing al-Shabab members.

On Friday, the Pentagon said the militant leader had been killed in a US air raid on a gathering of al-Shabab commanders on September 1.

Somalia is on high alert due to possible retaliatory attacks by al-Shabab militants following Godane’s death.

Security agencies in Somalia have obtained information indicating that al-Shabab is planning to carry out a wave of retaliatory strikes against medical facilities, education centers and government buildings, according to National Security Minister General Khalif Ahmed Ereg.

Somalia has been the scene of clashes between government forces and al-Shabab fighters since 2006.

The al-Shabab militants have been pushed out of the capital Mogadishu and other major cities in Somalia by the AU Mission in Somalia, which is made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

The country did not have an effective central government from 1991 to 2012, when lawmakers elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president.