Self Defence Airstrike
Read Time:2 Minute, 34 Second
US carries out self defence airstrike in Somalia killing 13 jihadists after Mogadishu requested help according to a Pentagon statement
The US has claimed it conducted an airstrike against an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group in Somalia over the weekend. According to the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), the Somali government had requested combat support on Saturday because its national army was “engaged” by Al-Shabaab terrorists.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud President of Somalia requested for US help
The response involved “a collective self-defense airstrike” around 45 kilometers from the southern coastal city of Kismayo. An initial assessment suggested that 13 militants had been killed and no civilians hurt, AFRICOM claimed in a statement. “The command will continue to assess the results of this operation and will provide additional information as appropriate,” the statement read.
The U.S. considers al-Shabab the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaida network in the world. Al-Shabab merged with al-Qaida in February 2012.
“[Al-Shabab] has proved both its will and capability to attack partner and U.S. forces and threaten security interests in the region,” AFRICOM said.
Meanwhile, al-Shabab militants raided the recently liberated village of Cowsweyne in the central Galmudug state, killing government soldiers early Saturday, security sources say.
According to two security officials who asked not to be identified because they are not allowed to comment on sensitive military operations, the militants attacked the village using explosions from vehicle-borne explosive devices (VBIED) or car bombs, followed by armed militants who engaged in heavy gun battles with government forces.
The state-run Somali National News Agency (SONNA) said government forces repelled the attack and destroyed the VBIEDs.
However, extremist group al-Shabab issued a press release claiming to have “overrun” the base and killing 178 soldiers and capturing prisoners. That claim has not been independently verified.
The situation in Cowsweyne, 60 kilometers northwest of Ceel Dheer town, is still murky more than 24 hours after the attack. A local official described the attack in Cowsweyne as “painful.”
Somali government soldiers liberated Cowsweyne on August 22 as the government resumed military operations against al-Shabab to remove the group from central Somalia and push the militants to the south.
Military officials said they are targeting two main towns in the state, Elbur and Galhareri. Elbur was captured without a fight Friday by a large column of Somali forces. Al-Shabab militants have been withdrawing from towns and villages and retreating into the bush with the intention of a prolonged guerrilla war.
The Pentagon has increased drone strikes in Somalia in recent months, citing requests from the country’s federal government. In July, the US said five al-Shabaab fighters had been killed by an American UAV in a remote part of the country.
The Horn of Africa country has been plagued by continuous civil wars and an acute humanitarian crisis for more than three decades. At least 20 soldiers were killed last month when a suicide bomber blew up his vest inside an army base in the capital, Mogadishu.
Source X/Reuters/RT
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Average Rating