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Airwars Assessment
(Previous Incident Code: SOM123C)
A joint action by Somali troops and US Special Forces killed 30 al Shabaab militants including two foreign fighters, in the town of Jilib, according to a Somali National Army commander.
Xinhua reported the following: “The Somali National Army (SNA) on Sunday killed 30 al-Shabab militants, including two foreign nationals, in the southern town of Jilib, an official said.. Ali Mohamad Bag Madow, SNA commander for section 43, told journalists the militants were killed in a joint offensive by Somali national forces and the U.S. Africa Command (Africom) near a training camp used by the al-Qaeda-linked militants in Jilib, in Middle Jubba, southern Somalia.
‘Our special forces carried out a joint operation with U.S. Africa Command, killing 30 al-Shabab militants among them two foreigners,’ Madow said. The two foreign militants killed were identified as Aways Abuhamza of Syria and Hasn Al-qayadi Abu Yahya from Libya.
Residents in nearby towns said they heard huge blasts. ‘We heard blasts in Jilib town but we do not have additional details on the final outcome,’ Abdirazak Gedi, a local resident, told Xinhua.”
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the town Jilib (جيليب), for which the coordinates are: 0.494527, 42.777868. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Military Statements
Media From Sources (3)
The training base that came under attack is believed to be a bomb making factory and radicalization center where suicide bombers are trained. No official comment from @USAfricaCommand on the Jilib raid.
— Abdulaziz (@AbdulBillowAli) December 30, 2018
The names of the al-Shabab foreign officials killed in the Jilib town attack were Aweys Abu Hamza from Syria and Hassan Al-Qayadi also known as Abu Yahya from Libya. They were among the top senior leaders of the anti peace group al-Shabab. Acording to General Bogmadow. #Somalia
— Mowliid Haji Abdi (@MowliidHaji) December 31, 2018