US airstrike in Somalia kills 27 al-Shabaab militants

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – U.S. forces in coordination with the Somali government conducted an airstrike in Somalia's northeastern Bari region over the weekend, killing 27 al-Shabaab militants, the U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said Monday.

The airstrike took place 41 kilometers (26 miles) southwest of the coastal town of Bosasso, the capital of Bari, on June 2, Africom said in a statement.

Africom said it currently assesses that no civilians were killed in the airstrike.

“U.S. forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect U.S. citizens and to disable terrorist threats” in Somalia, the statement said.

U.S. President Donald Trump authorized the conducting of airstrikes in Somalia soon after taking office.

Local elders in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region accused the U.S. of killing at least 10 civilians in an airstrike on Barire town last year, but the U.S. denied the allegations, saying it had targeted al-Shabaab militants based there.