A U.S. airstrike against al-Shabaab in Somalia killed “more than 100 militants” on Tuesday, November 21, the U.S. military’s Africa Command said.
“In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Somalia against an al-Shabaab camp on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at approximately 10:30 a.m. local Somalia time, killing more than 100 militants,” Africom said in a press release.
The airstrike was carried out 125 miles northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, the release said.
Abdirahman Osman, Somalia’s Minister of Information, tweeted that “90 – 100 Al-Shabaab militants were killed a training camp in Bur Elade, Dinsor district, Bay region.”
“It’s obvious from what we were seeing that these were militants,” Africom spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Anthony Falvo told VOA.
Local journalists Hussein Mohamed and Ibrahim Aden said on Twitter that al-Shabaab claimed not a single fighter was killed. Mohamed tweeted that al-Shabbab military spokesman Abdi Aziz Abu Musab said reports that a U.S. airstrike hit on of the group’s training camps were “baseless.”
MORE: Al Shabab military spokesman,Abdi Aziz Abu Mus'ab, says the reports that US airstrike hit our training camp was baseless,even one single of our fighters was not killed in Bay region.
— Hussein Mohamed (@HussienM12) November 21, 2017
“Al-Shabaab has publicly committed to planning and conducting attacks against the U.S. and our partners in the region,” Africom said using identical language to previous releases. “U.S. forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect Americans and to disable terrorist threats.”
The airstrike is the latest in an increasing number against al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia. On November 15, Africom said a drone strike about 60 miles north Mogadishu killed “several” al-Shabaab militants. On November 9, Africom said it struck al-Shabaab in the Bay region, about 100 miles west of Mogadishu. From November 11-12, U.S. forces carried out three drone strikes against al-Shabaab and Islamic State near Gaduud, the Lower Shabelle region and the northern Puntland area.
Airstrikes in Libya
A second Africom release said U.S. forces conducted two airstrikes near Fuqaha in Libya against Islamic Sate targets on November 17 and 18.
“As part of our continued cooperation, in coordination with the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), U.S. forces conducted two precision airstrike in Libya against ISIS militants on Nov. 17 and Nov. 19,” the release said.
