The US military says it killed roughly 60 'terrorists' in Somalia airstrike, the deadliest strike in roughly a year
- The US military on Tuesday said it killed roughly 60 al-Shabaab "terrorists" in an airstrike in Somalia, marking the deadliest strike against the militants in roughly a year.
- "This precision airstrike was the largest airstrike against al-Shabaab since November 21, 2017, when US forces conducted an airstrike against an al-Shabaab camp killing approximately 100 terrorists," AFRICOM said.
- Under President Trump, the US military has increased its involvement in the fight against al-Shabaab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa.
The US military on Tuesday said it killed roughly 60 al-Shabaab "terrorists" in an airstrike in Somalia, marking the deadliest strike against the militants in roughly a year.
The October 12 airstrike targeted militants in the area of Harardere, Somalia, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement, and was conducted in support of local troops.
"This precision airstrike was the largest airstrike against al-Shabaab since November 21, 2017, when US forces conducted an airstrike against an al-Shabaab camp killing approximately 100 terrorists," the statement said.
AFRICOM added that "we currently assess" no civilians were injured or killed as a result of the strike.
The US military's activities in Somalia have been under scrutiny in recent months after US special forces in May were accused of complicity in a botched raid by Somali troops that left five civilians dead.
Under President Donald Trump, the US military has increased its involvement in the fight against al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with al Qaeda and the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa. This has not come without consequences for the local populace, according to reports.
A January 2018 investigation from The Guardian found dozens of Somali civilians were killed or wounded - over 50 in total - in a series of US-led airstrikes against militants in the region over a six month period starting in July 2017.
There have been 18 US airstrikes or drone strikes in Somalia in 2018, killing as many as 87 people, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. According to this analysis, up to five civilians were possibly among those killed.