WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2022) The United States killed 27 al-Shabab terrorists (affiliated with the al-Qaeda terror group, banned in Russia) in an airstrike in Somalia, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Wednesday.
"The command's initial assessment is that the strike killed 27 al-Shabab terrorists and that no civilians were injured," AFRICOM said in a statement.
The strike took place near the city of Buulobarde on September 18 at the request of the government of Somalia, following attacks on the Somali armed forces.
"The defensive strikes allowed the Somali National Army and African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces to regain the initiative and continue the operation to disrupt al-Shabaab in the Hiraan region of central Somalia. This operation is the largest combined Somali and ATMIS offensive operation in five years," the statement added.
Somalia collapsed as a unified nation in 1991 with the downfall of the Siad Barre's dictatorship. The international community recognized the Federal government as the only legitimate authority, which controls the capital of Mogadishu and several areas of Somalia.
The al-Shabab terror group is waging an armed struggle against the federal government and controls large areas of Somalia's southern and central parts.
In May, the United States decided to renew strikes against the terror group in order to combat the growing threat it poses to American partner forces.
