US airstrike kills 52 Al-Shabaab militants in middle Jubba Somalia-AFRICOM

US airstrike kills 52 Al-Shabaab militants on Saturday in the outskirt of Jilib middle Jubba region, US military has said.

The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement Saturday the militants were neutralized in a response to an attack by a large group of Al-Shabaab militants against the Somalia national army forces.

“In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike after al-Shabaab militants attacked Somalian Government forces in Southern Kismayo, Somalia, on January 19, 2019,” AFRICOM said.

We currently assess nine (52) militants were killed in the strike AFRICOM said adding initial assessments indicate there were no casualties.

“In particular, the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists,” AFRICOM said.

U.S. Africa Command will continue to work with its partners to transfer the responsibility for long-term security in Somalia from AMISOM to the Federal Government of Somalia and its Member States, and U.S. forces will use all effective and appropriate methods to protect the Somali people, including partnered with military counter-terror operations with the Federal Government of Somalia, AMISOM and Somali National Army forces.

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