Mogadishu: US Africa Command said on Sunday that at the request of the Somalian government, the US armed forces carried out an airstrike against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group, which resulted in the death of 13 militants of the group.
“The collective self-defense airstrike was conducted in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, in support of Somali National Army forces who were engaged by the terrorist organization. Working with the Somali National Army, US Africa Command’s initial assessment is that the airstrike killed 13 al Shabaab fighters and that no civilians were injured or killed,” the command said in a statement.
The statement added that the strike hit the target 45 kilometers (27.9 miles) northwest of the city of Kismayo.
Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based jihadist militant group linked to al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia). It wages armed resistance against the Somali government and obstructs UN humanitarian missions in the country.