U.S. strikes al-Shabab in Somalia

U.S. forces conducted an airstrike Sunday against al-Shabab militants in Somalia, the Pentagon announced.


The strike, which was coordinated with its regional partners, occurred about 185 miles southwest of the Mogadishu capital, Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said in a statement.

Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said his nation's special forces attacked a training center for the militants near Sakow, a district in the Middle Juba region.

"The mission which was successfully ended, destroyed an important training camp where the group used to organize violent operations," Mohamed said in a statement. "This undermines their ability to mastermind more attacks."

Neither statement mentioned casualties.

On Thursday, the al-Qaida-linked militant group attacked a military base in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, killing 61 soldiers.

Since 2007, al-Shabab has been fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia. The group was forced from the capital by African Union troops in 2011, but maintained a presence in Somalia's rural areas.

In March, President Donald Trump authorized the Defense Department to conduct legal strikes against al-Shabab within a geographically defined area of active hostilities, White said.
  [upi.com]
11/6/17