Airwars assessment
43 al-Shabaab militants were killed by alleged US airstrikes near Jamaane District in Lower Jubba on June 16, 2023.
Garowe Online reported that airstrike carried out by the US struck a location where al-Shabaab militants were holding a meeting in Jamaane District in Lower Jubba, killing “several” militants. @SONNALIVE specified that the airstrikes occurred around 6:15pm in an area 14 km from Jamaane District, resulting in “heavy loss of life and many injuries.”
A tweet from @dhoorebbc identified Adan Abdirahman and Idiris Abdirahim Nur, a Kenyan National, as two top al-Shabaab officials who were killed by the US airstrike and Somali special forces near Jamaane town.
The Somali National News Agency (SONNA), quoted by VOA News, later reported that in addition to the two al-Shabaab leaders, a total of 43 al-Shabaab fighters were killed by the airstrike. According to SONNA, the militants were meeting to plan attacks against Barsanguni military base, which is home to the Somali National Army and local forces.
A tweet from @GaroweOnline pointed out that the strikes occurred just days after the head of AFRICOM visited Jubaland and met with President Ahmed Madobe on counterterrorism.
The incident occured at 18:15:00 local time.