MOGADISHU, Somalia – US military says it has carried out drone strike against Al Shabaab in Somalia, killing at least 10 fighters on Thursday.
The air raid was conducted in Dheerow Sanle area, some 150km south west of Somali capital Mogadishu, according to US Africom commando.
“To support the Federal Government of Somalia’s continued efforts to degrade al-Shabaab, U.S. forces conducted one (1) airstrike targeting al-Shabaab militants in the vicinity of Dheerow Sanle”, the commando said.
The airstrike was conducted to diminish al-Shabaab’s freedom of movement and to increase pressure on the terrorist network in the area, US Africom said.
“We currently assess this airstrike killed ten (10) militants.”
The US military says no civilian was killed or injured in the air raid.
Last year, sixty-two militants were killed by US airstrikes in Somalia, US Africa Command said in a statement.
The strikes, which targeted al-Shabaab militants, were conducted near Gandarshe, about 79km away from the capital of Mogadishu, according to the statement.
US says Al-Shabaab, al Qaeda’s largest affiliate, uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists in Somalia.
There was no immediate word from Al Shabaab over the claims.
In November, the US military said it killed 37 militants in two airstrikes in the vicinity of Debatscile, Somalia.
In March 2017, President Donald Trump authorized the US military to carry out precision strikes targeting al-Shabaab in an effort to bolster the federal government of Somalia.
