US Drones Attack Kismayo, in Southern Somalia

Attacks Hit Three Targets as Surveillance Drone Crash Reported

by Jason Ditz, September 25, 2011

Residents of the southern Somali port city of Kismayo report that US drones attacked at least three targets. The number of deaths in the attacks were not reported but several explosions were noted.

The attacks were believed to have targeted al-Shabaab targets within the city, as they are the only militant faction operating there. The port is seen as particularly strategically valuable for the insurgents, and a key source of funding.

The attacks come in the wake of a claim that a surveillance drone crashed in Kismayo and was carted off by al-Shabaab. The crash did not cause any casualties.

It was the first major reports of strikes in Kismayo since earlier this month, when an attack on the outskirts of town killed nine civilians, including women and children, and wounded 30 others.

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