Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Four Al-Shabaab members were killed by three declared US airstrikes near Beledweyne on August 9, 2022.
Somalia state media was the first to report on August 9th that “at the request of Somali Government, #US launched a strike in support of Somali National Army forces conducting counterterrorism operations in #Hiran region. There were no civilians harmed in this incident and the US said it will continue to support #Somalia.”
On the day of the strike, August 9th, local source Morad News reported that a US drone strike was reported in the Hiiraan region and local journalist @HarunMaruf also tweeted that the US strikes had occurred “at the request of the federal government of Somalia.”
The following day, August 10th, US AFRICOM released a statement that “In coordination with and in support of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted three airstrikes against al-Shabaab terrorists who attacked Somali National Army Forces near Beledweyne, Somalia, August 9, 2022. The command’s initial assessment is that the strikes killed four al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed. U.S. forces are authorized to conduct strikes in defense of designated partner forces.”
A tweet from @wesleysmorgan pointed out that strikes in Somalia continue to be justified as collective self defense of Somalia or African Union partner forces, not counterterrorism HVT strikes.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (12) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention strikes in the vicinity of the city of Beledweyne, for which the generic coordinates are: 4.741004, 45.201998. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
US Forces Assessment:
Original strike reports
In coordination with and in support of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted three airstrikes against al-Shabaab terrorists who attacked Somali National Army Forces near Beledweyne, Somalia, August 9, 2022.
The command’s initial assessment is that the strikes killed four al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed. U.S. forces are authorized to conduct strikes in defense of designated partner forces.
The Federal Government of Somalia and U.S. Africa Command take great measures to prevent civilian casualties. These efforts contrast with the indiscriminate attacks that al-Shabaab regularly conducts against the civilian population.
The Federal Government of Somalia and the U.S. remain committed to fighting al-Shabaab to prevent the deaths of innocent civilians.
Violent extremist organizations like al-Shabaab present long-term threats to Somali, regional and U.S. interests.