Approximately 30 Islamist al-Shabab terrorists were killed by a U.S. airstrike close to the central Somali town of Galcad, where Somalia’s military was involved in fierce combat, according to a statement from the U.S. Africa Command.
More than 100 al-Shabab fighters were attacking Somali national forces in Mogadishu when the operation, which the U.S. military referred to as a “collective self-defense strike,” took place on Friday.
No one was harmed or killed in the strike, according to U.S. Africa Command, the military branch of the American government’s presence on the continent. Three automobiles, it reported, had been obliterated.
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According to the Somali government and the militant group, al-Shabab members raided a military facility in Galcad, Somalia, on Friday and murdered at least seven troops. The fighters shot firearms and detonated car bombs, but they were ultimately repulsed.
According to a statement from Somalia’s Information Ministry, in addition to the seven troops killed by al-Shabab, their soldiers also killed 100 fighters for the organisation and destroyed five gun-mounted pickup trucks known as “technicals.”
Since 2006, Al-Shabab has fought to oust the nation’s current government and impose its own, based on a strict interpretation of Islam.
Despite government victories against the al-Qaida-affiliated extremists last year, Friday’s attack highlighted the significant threat that al-Shabab remains for Somalia’s troops.
Reuters
Reuters
