US Military: Drone Strike Kills More Than 100 Al-Shabab in Somalia

FILE - Hundreds of newly trained al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area 18 km south of Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 17, 2017. Tuesday's U.S. drone strike reportedly targeted an al-Shabab training camp in Somalia's Bay region.

A U.S. military drone strike has killed more than 100 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.

Military officials told VOA that Tuesday’s strike hit an al-Shabab training camp in the country’s Bay region, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

“It’s obvious from what we were seeing that these were militants,” AFRICOM spokesman Lieutenant Commander Anthony Falvo told VOA.


The U.S. military said the strike was conducted in coordination with the Somali government to help Somalia address threats within its territory while targeting the al-Qaida affiliate’s safe havens, which could be used to plan terror attacks across the globe.

The United States has carried out roughly 30 strikes against al-Shabab this year. Earlier this month, U.S. forces killed several militants in a drone strike in the Lower Shabelle region, about 30 kilometers north of Mogadishu.