Iran Press/Africa: The Pentagon’s Africa Command said in a statement on Tuesday that it had carried out the airstrikes in Somalia on Friday.
It said the strike took place in the Harardhere area, where American forces are said to be training Somali troops and have also partnered with the United Nations-backed African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Reuters reported.
The command said the attack targeted al-Shabaab — the al-Qaeda-linked militant outfit that has long been fighting Somalia’s Western-backed federal government.
“We currently assess this airstrike killed approximately 60 terrorists,” it claimed.
The command also claimed that the strike “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.”
Citing US military officials, CNN said the strike was carried out by a drone.
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The US has carried out at least 27 airstrikes in Somalia this year. The militant group, however, is more powerful now in central Somalia, carrying out attacks against government, military, and civilian targets in the capital, Mogadishu, as well as regional towns.
The US, which has a significant military presence in Africa, has the largest number of forces in Somalia. It expanded the number of its troops there to 500 last year.
Somalia has been gripped by violence and lawlessness since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.
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