Airwars assessment
Unidentified jets reportedly bombed three villages – Yasooman, Ceeldheer and Ceel Lahelay in the central Hiiraan region – all described as being under al Shabaab control. There were no reported casualties.
According to All Africa: “An official says unidentified military jets bombed Al shabaab bases in the Somali region of Hiiraan on Sunday, the latest in series of aerial bombardment against the Al Qaeda-linked militants. Confirming the incident, Col Mohamed Omar Aden who is a senior Somali army commander in the region said the jets hit Yasooman, Ceeldheer and Ceel lahelay villages, which are all under Al shabaab control. No casualties reported in the multiple airstrikes against Al Shabaab strongholds in Hiiraan region. African Union troops in the region did not comment on the air attacks.”
It was not clear who carried out the strike – with US officials denying responsibility to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
The area where the attack hit borders Ethiopia, and was nominally under the control of the Burundian component of Amisom at the time.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (1) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the villages of Yasooman (4.055577, 45.749016), Ceeldheer (4.4197762, 44.8728480) and Ceel Lahelay (4.4601000, 45.4361500) in the Hiiraan region. The coordinates for the middle point between these villages are: 4.264363, 45.353956. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.