A Damage assessment on the Friday 22nd March 2019 drone airstrike by a unknown air force, shows that approximately 50 members of the Somali terror group Harakat Shabaab Mujahideen (HSM) were killed while an estimated 80-100 others sustained injuries during a strategy meeting in Bu’aale township of Middle Juba prefecture, Somalia. A High Value Target (HVT) identified as Kenya born jihadist, Ahmed Iman Ali who is also a senior commander of the terror group was among those killed.
Human Intelligence reports by assets affirm earlier assessment pointing out complete damage on the building housing a company size group of militants with the terror group probably determined not to let details of the deadly airstrike known. There were no survivors in the building but those using the adjacent structure of the complex sustained serious injuries from the bomb.
The terror group has deployed its militia in the township and imposed a gag on the airstrike. There are reports of mass arrests of civilians and out fear. Intelligence shows since Friday, there’s no free movement in and out of the town. The terror group has maintained radio silence about the attack. The group hardly acknowledges such significantly devastating attacks and in the event of such a HVT being taken out, they’ll eulogize him with a statement many days after his death and at approximately a years’ time further eulogize him with a video publication.
Several similar airstrikes since mid-2018 have wreaked havoc on the group’s rank and file further weakening it. The group has never reported these drone airstrikes, whose kill rate and precision is extremely high. The death of Iman Ali will mark the end of the groups network in Kenya and hopefully Tanzania.
