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Airwars Assessment
(Previous Incident Code: SOM113)
On November 20th 2019, AFRICOM reported that it had “conducted two (2) airstrikes in the vicinity of Debatscile, Somalia targeting al-Shabaab militants on November 19, 2018”. These are recorded as separate events, with the other that day near Quy Cad.
AFRICOM asserted: “We currently assess these airstrikes did not injure or kill any civilians.” It also claimed that this “second, separate airstrike killed ten (10) militants”.
A US defense official told CNN that they were both carried out by a drone. Voice of America noted that “Local sources tell VOA’s Somali Service that the attacks took place in the vicinity of Dabad Shil, about 60 kilometers north of Harardhere, a town in the Mudug region. Locals told VOA Somali that the strikes targeted al-Shabab vehicles and militias.”
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 Debatscile, Somalia.
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the vicinity of the village of Debatcile, for which the coordinates are: 5.172335, 48.123686. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.