(Previous Incident Code: SOM119)

Four al Shabaab fighters were reported killed as the US carried out what it said was a self-defence strike in the vicinity of Awdheegle, Lower Shabelle, after US and partner forces came under attack, US Africa Command said in a statement.

Associated Press gave a detailed report on the event: “Somali commandos backed by U.S. forces raided two al-Shabab checkpoints at which the extremists extort money from commercial vehicles, killing several fighters, Somali intelligence officials said Wednesday. The officials also said two U.S. airstrikes in the area during the overnight raid destroyed an explosives-laden minibus that was prepared for a complex attack on an unspecified location. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media…

“Residents of Awdhegle, a farming village in Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia, told The Associated Press they had heard gunfire and explosions.
‘Something big happened here last night. We only know that al-Shabab was under attack,’ said one elder, who gave his name only as Yusuf for fear of reprisal from the al-Qaida-linked extremists. ‘Then we woke up to find fighters sealed off the whole area in the morning,’ he said.”

Shabelle Media said the strikes were conducted by manned aircraft rather than by drones.

AFRICOM assessed that no civilians were harmed in the strikes.