U.S. airstrike targets Al-Shabaab compound in Somalia

A Feb. 17 U.S. airstrike took out an al-Shabab compound near Jilib, Somalia, according to U.S. Africa Command. AFRICOM didn’t say whether any members of the terror organization were present at the time of the attack, and alleged no civilians were hurt or killed.

The Pentagon coordinated the strike with the Somali government, according to a release issued the same day.

“It is important to counter this al-Qaeda-aligned group’s ability and intent to plan and carry out attacks in Somalia and more broadly,” said Army Brig. Gen. Miguel Castellanos, AFRICOM’s deputy operations director. “This precision strike does just that.”

It was the fifth American airstrike targeting al-Shabab in Somalia so far in February.

The U.S. strikes carried out earlier this month collectively killed two al-Shabab members, injured two others, and “severely degraded” another compound near Jilib.

Source: Airforce Mag