Incident Code
Incident Code
Incident Date
Location
Geolocation
Geolocation
Airwars Assessment
A US airstrike targeted Al Shabaab fighters near Saakow.
The AFRICOM press release said: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted one (1) airstrike targeting an al-Shabaab compound in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia, Dec. 24.
The initial assessment concluded the strike damaged the compound and several al-Shabaab fighters fled, thwarting nefarious activity.
The command currently assesses no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this operation. Efforts to disrupt enemy operations, as well as monitor and apply pressure to the al-Shabaab network continue.”
Other sources published similar accounts. A CNN report criticised the wording of an AFRICOM tweet about the incident that was later deleted.
Key Information
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of Saakow (سااكوو) village. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Saakow are: 1.63938, 42.452171.