Al-Shabab forces carried out two attacks Monday morning against Western forces in Somalia. The larger attack targeted the Belidogle airstrip, a site from which US forces operate drones, and which was hit with a suicide car bomb. The second attack targeted Italian troops in Mogadishu, and reported killed some civilian bystanders.
From reports, there was no indication that any US or European forces were killed or wounded. Officials have not clarified how many civilian casualties there were, but US officials reported 10 militants were killed.
US Africa Command’s statement said that they’d carried out two airstrikes in self-defense, saying they were targeting al-Shabab terrorists. It’s not clear how many of the slain militants died in the fighting and how many were killed in the subsequent US airstrikes.
The wording of the statement suggests the airstrikes destroyed at least one vehicle, however, as it only reported one destroyed, despite both attacks involving car bombs which presumably would’ve destroyed at least the cars.
10 Militants Killed During Attack on US Base in Somalia
Attack targeted airbase used by US drones
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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