Somali intelligence officials say the deadliest U.S. airstrike against the Al-Qaeda branch in Somalia in nearly a year completely destroyed the terrorist’s training camp where the newly trained recruits were preparing to graduate.
According the officials, several missiles fired on Friday 12, October 2018 by two unmanned U.S. drones killed more Al-Shabaab fighters than the U.S. announced.
Some of the newly trained Al-Shabaab recruits were burnt beyond recognition and the death toll exceeds 75, one of the officials said. The U.S. Africa Command- AFRICOM on Tuesday said about 60 Al-Shabaab fighters had been killed.
The AFRICOM said the airstrike was meant to deny the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent, the terrorist group operating in the horn of Africa, the ability to reconsolidate.
This is another painful blow to the militant group that has remained resilient, targeting government staffers, NGOs and humanitarian establishments, government and partner forces operating in Somalia.
The Friday airstrike was conducted outside the Al-Shabaab-controlled seaside vicinity of Harardere in Mudug province in central region of Somalia. This was one of the deadliest airstrikes since one on November 21, 2017, against a camp that killed about 100 Al-Shabaab militants.
