Geolocation
Airwars assessment
AFRICOM publicly reported that two days earlier, it had “conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab on the morning of March 19 near Mubaarak, Somalia”.
The press release made no mention of civilian harm. However, AFRICOM claimed that the airstrike killed “two terrorists”, wounded another “three terrorists” and destroyed “one vehicle”.
Voice of America reported the following: “AFRICOM did not identify the individuals targeted in the Monday morning strike but said it was conducted in coordination with the federal government of Somalia. It also said one vehicle was destroyed in the operation… The deputy governor of the Lower Shabelle region, Abdifatah Haji Abdulle, told VOA Somali that they are still assessing Monday’s strike in order to identify those targeted. He told VOA Somali that the occupants were al-Shabab officials but said details will be released after assessment is completed.”
In a subsequent FOIA response obtained by journalist Joshua Eaton in May 2019, AFRICOM confirmed it had struck what it says were “al-Shabaab Fighters”, in the vicinity of Mubaarak, Somalia.
A #US airstrike has killed two #AlShabab militants and wounded three more, #USAfricaCommand reports.
In a statement, the command said that Monday's strike near #Mubaarak, southeastern #Somalia also destroyed one vehicle. pic.twitter.com/41zGt8H1Nh
— Stream Africa (@Stream_Africa) March 21, 2018
The incident occured in the morning.
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the vicinity of Mubaarak (مبارك) for which the coordinates are: 1.9172773, 44.7731843. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
US Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
U.S. Conducts Airstrike in Support of the Federal Government of Somalia
In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab on the morning of March 19 near Mubaarak, Somalia, killing two terrorists, wounding three terrorists, and destroying one vehicle.
U.S. forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect U.S. citizens and to disable terrorist threats. This includes partnering with AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces (SNSF) in combined counterterrorism operations and targeting terrorists, their training camps, and their safe havens throughout Somalia and the region.
Together with other international partners, the United States is committed to providing Somalia, AMISOM and SNSF with support in the fight against violent extremist organizations.