A possible US or Kenyan airstrike at Buusaar or Waraha-Kakuma left “scores” of al Shabaab fighters dead, according to local media sources.

A regional official who asked Mareeg to remain anonymous, told the local news organisation that the strike had destroyed al Shabaab’s base in ‘Buzer, west Somalia.’

The report did not note how many militants were thought to have been killed in the strike. Airwars interprets “scores” as spanning from ten to forty, though these figures should be considered subject to significant levels of uncertainty.

It was unclear who carried out the bombing according to Mareeg, although it reported it as a “suspected US airstrike”. There are no known reports about civilian harm.

Halgan Media tweeted: “Local pastoralists in Gedo province #Somalia reveal an unidentified aircraft conducted a strike near the village of Buusaar in Gedo province. No Government has claimed responsibility for the attack but the suspicion lays with the Americans and KDF”

A second source claimed the morning strike took place at Waraha-Kuma: “#BREAKING new Airstrike reported in Waraha-Kakuma Village in Gedo Region Southern #Somalia.”

Asked whether it had been responsible for this event, in February 2020 a senior AFRICOM official told Airwars that this was not the case. However, this may not preclude actions by the CIA which conducts its own undeclared strikes in Somalia.

The incident occured between 12:00 am and 9:00 am local time.