Geolocation
Airwars assessment
44 al-Shabaab militants were killed during operations carried out by Somalia government forces and ‘international partners’ in the Ali Fuuto area in Lower Shabelle on May 13, 2023.
Voice of America quoted Somalia’s deputy information minister, Abdirahman Al-Adala, who said that the intelligence unit, with the support of international partners, killed 44 al-Shabab militants in the Ali Fuuto area while they were regrouping in the area at the time. Various Twitter accounts quoted this information without offering additional details.
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 the village of Ali Fuuto, for which the generic coordinates are: 1.545015, 44.042082. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.