Monday February 24, 2020
MOGADISHU (HOL) - A U.S air strike Monday in Lower Jubba region killed an official of a local telecommunication company in Somalia but both Somali Government and US forces said the strike killed an Al-Shabaab militant.
An official from Hormud Telecom quoted by BBC Somali Service on condition of anonymity said the airstrike target was an employee of the telco. He identified him as Mohamed Haji who served as a district manager in Jilib town.According to the source, the deceased was in his farm in the outskirts of Jilib when the strike hit him. Jilib is one of the remaining strongholds of the militant group.
Both Somali Government and AFRICOM released statements Monday evening confirming the strike but noted the target was a terrorist.
“Initial assessment concluded the airstrike killed one (1) terrorist. We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this airstrike,” AFRICOM said.
The US Africa Command admitted two civilian killings last year but the campaign group Amnesty International put the civilian death toll at 14.