Geolocation
Airwars assessment
More than 40 al-Shabaab militants were killed during operations carried out by Somalia government forces and international partners near Nungare/ Barire town in Lower Shabelle on May 2, 2023.
The National Intelligence & Security Agency (NISA) @HSNQ_NISA tweeted that more than 40 al-Shabaab militants, including leaders and foreigners, were killed during an army operation in collaboration with international partners. The statement added that the al-Shabaab members were organizing themselves in the area in preparation for an attack.
Radio Kismaayo reported that 10 foreign fighters were among the al-Shabaab members killed and that the operation occurred near Nungare in the Afgoy district, Lower Shabelle region. @sntvnews1 identified the location as being farmland near Barire town.
While no sources directly implicated the US in the operation, the Somali government’s reference to “international partners” has in the past indicated US involvement.
The incident occured during the night.
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention farmland in the vicinity of the town of Barire, for which the generic coordinates are: 2.047260, 44.897476. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.