Airwars assessment
US Africa Command told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) in July 2018 that it had carried out two strikes in early June – one previously undisclosed.
The second took place on June 3rd, and targeted members of al Shabaab approximately 24 miles southwest of Bosasso, according to AFRICOM.
“We currently assess no terrorists and no civilians were killed in this airstrike,” a spokesperson said.
Puntland security forces had come under heavy attack from Al Shabaab in the days prior to this event.
In a subsequent FOIA response obtained by journalist Joshua Eaton in May 2019, AFRICOM confirmed it had targeted on this date what it says were “al-Shabaab Fighters”, in the vicinity of Puntland, Somalia.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (2) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the area 24 miles southwest of the city Bosaso (بوصاصو), for which the generic coordinates are: 11.013362, 48.938933. The coordinates for the city of Bosaso (بوصاصو) are: 11.2784800, 49.1799520. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
United States Armed Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
Via email from Africom to BIJ, July 6th, 2018:
“In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Forces conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabaab militants approximately 24 miles southwest of Bosasso, Somalia, on June 3. We currently assess no terrorists and no civilians were killed in this airstrike.”