Khalid Mahmoud
Saturday February 25, 2023
Somali forces patrol in Mogadishu. (AP)
Somali state television announced on Wednesday that 20 al-Shabaab militants were killed in an airstrike in the country's central region of Hiran.
The Somalian intelligence forces, in cooperation with international allied forces, carried out the airstrike.
The attack targeted a vehicle belonging to al-Shabaab members, leaving 20 of them dead.
At least ten people were killed on Tuesday when al-Shabaab terrorists stormed a residential building in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
In a statement, the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it carried out a “collective self-defense” strike against al-Shabaab following a request from the Somalian government.
The strike was in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, AFRICOM said.
“At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, US Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike on Feb. 21,” the statement read.
The strike occurred in a remote area near Galmudug, which is approximately 510 km northeast of Mogadishu, it added.
“The initial assessment is the strike killed seven al-Shabaab militants. Given the remote location of the operation, the command assesses that no civilians were injured or killed,” according to AFRICOM.
Meanwhile, the Somali National News Agency reported that disputes among al-Shabaab militias have led to the house arrests of several leaders in the south of the country.