US says airstrike kills 24 al-Shabab extremists in Somalia
Source: Associated Press
US says airstrike kills 24 al-Shabab extremists in Somalia
By CARA ANNA
January 31, 2019
JOHANNESBURG (AP) The United States military said Thursday it has killed 24 al-Shabab extremists with an airstrike in Somalia, one of its deadliest in months.
The airstrike was carried out on Wednesday near an extremist camp near Shebeeley in the central Hiran region north of the capital, Mogadishu, the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement.
It was the ninth such airstrike carried out by the U.S. this year. The U.S. carried out nearly 50 strikes last year in the Horn of Africa nation against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.
Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on a hotel complex in the capital of neighboring Kenya earlier this month that left 21 people dead. The extremist group, which targets Kenya in retaliation for sending troops to Somalia, has also targeted hotels, government offices and checkpoints in Mogadishu with suicide bombings.
The group is also accused of stealing humanitarian aid in the often drought-hit country and extorting residents and travelers to fund its attacks.
-snip-
Read more:
https://apnews.com/4d00f73408304a16bd480b2d4319ff8b