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US Airstrikes Kill 150 People in Somalia

  • Members of the hardline al-Shabab rebel group hold their weapons in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, Jan. 1, 2010.

    Members of the hardline al-Shabab rebel group hold their weapons in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, Jan. 1, 2010. | Photo: Reuters

Published 7 March 2016
Opinion

The weekend attacks targeted militants from the al-Shabab militant group, an affiliate of al-Qaida.

U.S. airstrikes in Somalia over the weekend killed more than 150 people, U.S. officials revealed on Monday. The strikes reportedly targeted al-Shabab militants.

Pentagon spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said the strike occurred sometime Saturday on a camp called Raso, about 195 kilometers north of capital Mogadishu.

"The fighters were there training and were training for a large-scale attack. We know they were going to be departing the camp and they posed an imminent threat to U.S. and (African Union) forces," said Davis.

"Initial assessments are that more than 150 terrorist fighters were eliminated," he added.

Davis claimed the group had neared the completion of specialist training to conduct "offensive operations," but he did not give any details about the assault the fighters were allegedly planning.

"Their removal will degrade al-Shebab's ability to meet the group's objectives in Somalia, which includes recruiting new members, establishing bases and planning attacks on U.S. and AMISON (African Union Mission to Somalia) forces there," said Davis. The base had been under U.S. surveillance for some time before the strike, he added.

Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for a number of devastating attacks in the region. In April 2015, al-Shabab militants attacked the Garissa University College in Kenya, killing 148 people.

A September 2013 attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, left 67 civilians dead.

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