US airstrikes kill 15 Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle Somalia
The United States military says targeted airstrikes against suspected extremists in Somalia have killed 15 fighters on 6th and 7th February 2019.
U.S. Africa Command statement says the airstrikes occurred in the vicinity of Gandarshe, Lower Shabelle region, on Wednesday and in the vicinity of Bariire in the same region on Thursday.
The airstrikes killed 11 and four people, respectively, after Somali troops engaged the extremists. The statement says no civilians were harmed.
These are the latest in a dramatic uptick in U.S. airstrikes in the Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump took office.
The al-Qaida-affiliated Al-Shabaab extremist group once controlled large Southern part of Somalia. African Union forces have succeeded in pushing it from major cities.
Al-Shabaab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa, continues with attacks in Somalia and neighbouring Kenya.
Goobjoog News