The US military’s Africa command, or AFRICOM, said on Wednesday, February 14, that it had conducted a new air strike against Al Shabaab at the request of Somalia’s government.
The “collective self-defense air strike with five engagements against the al Shabaab terrorist group” took place on February 9 in the vicinity of Yaq Dabel village, located about 57 kilometers northwest of the city of Kismayo, AFRICOM said.
“The initial post-strike assessment indicates that the U.S. air strike killed two al Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were harmed,” it added.
“U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of this airstrike and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operational security,” AFRICOM said.
The US military has conducted numerous such raids in Somalia in recent years, saying they targeted Al Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-linked group fighting the government of the Horn of Africa country.
AFRICOM says it is based in Stuttgart, Germany.
