MOGADISHU, Somalia – Unknown fighter jets have carried out an air strike against major al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab stronghold in south of Somalia, a day after U.S. military claimed to have killed 15 militants in two drone strikes carried out in Somalia.
The strike was conducted in Arare area near the coastal town of Kismayo, some 500km south of Somali capital Mogadishu, a military official, Mohamed Hussein Mohamed said.
Mohamed says the air raid targeted tens of Al Shabaab fighters, who were re-grouping, leaving scores dead.
It is unclear who carried out the bombing.
The attack comes a day after U.S. military said it had killed 15 militants in two separate attacks in south of the capital of Mogadishu.
Last week, U.S. military chief in Africa Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhause told U.S. Congress that its airstrike campaign won’t be enough to defeat Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab in Somalia, where indigenous forces need to “step up” the fight.
The United States has some 500 special operation forces in the country supporting the Somali military and the U.N.-backed African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM.
