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Airwars Assessment
(Previous Incident Code: SOM036)
The US carried airstrikes in self-defence in Jillib, Middle Juba, as reported by local media.
According to one local tweet, the attack took place at night in Jilib. Mogadishu News claimed that eight militants were killed when an al Shabaab police station was struck – noting “civilian houses razed by the strikes.”
UPDATE: Drone strikes targeting #AlShabaab stronghold killed at least 8 militants in the town, regional officials said. #Somalia
— Abukar Sheikh (@Aboukar_Sky) April 7, 2016
An AFRICOM spokesperson confirmed this as a US attack via email to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ):
“On April 6, the US conducted self-defence fires against an al Shabaab anti-aircraft vehicle in southern Somalia which posed an imminent threat to US personnel. US Forces are working closely with partner forces to combat al Shabaab in Somalia.
Al Shabaab has pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and continues to use its safe havens throughout Somalia to plot attacks against US persons and interests in East Africa, as well as against our international partners in the region.
The US is committed to supporting Somali and Amisom forces as they combat al Shabaab and work to bring stability to the region.”
The statement made no mention of civilian harm.
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the town of Jilib (جيليب), for which the generic coordinates are: 0.494527, 42.777868. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.