According to local sources, an airstrike by an unknown party targeted a ‘foreign al Shabaab commander’ close to midnight on May 8th 2019.

According to Horn Globe, “United States military has carried out at least two air strikes targeting al-Shabaab militant group’s bases in Jilib and Jamame town on Wednesday night, locals sources said. The first air strike hit a house in downtown Jilib, about 370km south of Somali capital, Mogadishu where a ‘suspected foreign al-Shabaab militant commander’ was hiding in. Local sources interviewed by Horn Globe did not identify the foreign al-Shabaab commander and whether he was killed or injured.

“One resident who asked anonymity said there were many vehicles coming in and out before the huge bomb hit the house close to midnight local time. Al-Shabaab does not allow local journalists or civilians to come near the places of air strike in an attempt to conceal possible deaths of its fighters.”

According to Fallaro, the target of the first strike was partially named as Mohammed.

No casualty number was suggested publicly for this reported action.

Asked whether it had been responsible for this event, in February 2020 a senior AFRICOM official told Airwars that this was not the case. However, this may not preclude actions by the CIA which conducts its own undeclared strikes in Somalia.

The incident occured at approximately 12:00 am local time.