Geolocation
Additional Geolocations
Airwars assessment
At least 20 al-Shabaab militants were killed and “dozens” of others were injured by an operation carried out by the Somali government and ‘international security partners’ between the Ugunji and Mubarak areas of Lower Shabelle region on April 20, 2023.
The National Intelligence & Security Agency (NISA) announced that 20 al-Shabaab militants, including a ring leader, were killed in a planned operation carried out by the NISA and international security partners between the Ugunji and Mubarak areas of Lower Shabelle region. The statement added that the targeted al-Shabaab members had been organizing themselves in a forest area at the time of the operation and that some of the militants escaped.
According to Voice of America, NISA also announced that “dozens” of other al-Shabaab members were injured in the operation.
While no sources directly implicated the US in the operation, the Somali government’s reference to “international partners” has in the past indicated US involvement but could also refer to Turkish involvement.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention a forested area between the village of Ugunji and the town of Mubarak. The generic coordinates for Ugunji are: 1.873068, 44.721608. The generic coordinates for Mubarak are: 1.916810, 44.772570. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.