US Launches Airstrike in Somalia, Says Two al-Shabaab Killed
The US military announced on Wednesday that it launched an airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabaab on February 9 in support of the US-backed Mogadishu-based government.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strike was launched in the vicinity of Yaq Dabel in Jubala, Somalia’s southernmost province. The attack marks the first known US airstrike in Somalia for the month of February. AFRICOM announced two airstrikes in January.
The command claimed the February 9 airstrike killed two al-Shabaab fighters and that the “initial assessment” found no civilians were harmed. But AFRICOM is notorious for undercounting civilian casualties, and US military operations in Somalia are shrouded in secrecy.
