WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Two operatives of East African militant group al-Shabab were killed in a US airstrike in Somalia, Africa Command said in statement.
"In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US Africa Command conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabab terrorists in the vicinity of Qunyo Barrow, Somalia, Jan. 16," the statement said on Thursday. "Initial assessment concluded the airstrike killed two terrorists."
Al-Shabab appears to be gaining strength in Somalia as a scheduled May pullout of African Union troops approaches, the Soufan Group said in a report released earlier in the day. The militant group weathered an intensified US campaign last year that included at least 60 strikes. Since March of 2017, al-Shabab has launched 900 attacks against civilians, according to the report.
While the AFRICOM statement said that Thursday's airstrike did not hit any civilians, Amnesty International said in September that it has documented six cases where US air strikes are believed to have resulted in civilian casualties in Somalia, killing a total of 17 people and wounding eight.
