Kenyan warplanes hit al-Shabab base in Somali village

Press TV
Friday, August 10, 2012

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Kenyan fighter jets have pounded a base, run by Somalia’s al-Shabab fighters in the southern region of lower Juba, reportedly causing casualties and damage, Press TV reports.

Local residents said on Thursday the missiles fired by the warplanes on Wednesday struck the fighters’ outpost in the Birta-Dheer village near the strategic Kismayu port.

“We heard several blasts on the outskirts of Birta-Dheer on Wednesday. We can’t confirm how many people died in the attacks,” said local resident Ibrahim Hassan.

The Somali military confirmed that the airstrike had left casualties and caused damage to the base.

Kenya has already carried out similar airstrikes in Somali border regions.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab for the past five years and is propped up by a 10,000-strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.

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