Hiiraan Online
Saturday June 2, 2018
Al-Shabaab fighters train at a camp close to Mogadishu, the Somali capital © AP
Mogadishu (HOL) - At least twelve Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in U.S. airstrike outside Somali capital, Mogadishu, U.S. forces confirmed on Friday.
U.S. government in coordination with Somali government has carried out 14 airstrikes against the militants since January.
In a statement, U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said 12 militants were neutralized in an airstrike in Southwest of Mogadishu.
"U.S. forces conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabab militants approximately 30 miles of southwest of Mogadishu, killing 12 terrorists," the statement reads in part.
The Mission affirmed that there were no civilian casualties during the air raid.
"We currently assess no civilians were killed in this airstrike," the statement confirmed.
The statement coincides with the release of a video and several photos of the militants' assassination attacks in and around the capital that appear to verify the group's claims.
In a video less than 14-minutes, the militants showed IED attacks against military and civilian vehicles as well as Al=Shabaab assassins killing Somali soldiers, elders and civilians in the capital.
Many of the photos released by the jihadist group are too graphic to be published.
However, other photos show a number of tactic training and escape route executed by the militants.
The militant group's video also shows a landmine blast that hits a vehicle belonging to a minister from Southwest State in March.
The blast which occurred on the main tarmac road linking Mogadishu to Lower Shabelle region, some 115 kilometres away from the capital killed the then state minister for Security of the Southwest Regional State and a state lawmaker from Hirshabelle Regional State, Abdirisack Abdulkadir and Ahmed Abdi respectively.
The terrorist group has also posted photos of several of its death-squad killing soldiers and electoral delegates who participated in the last election.
Meanwhile, hundreds of heavily armed militants took control of the town of Moqokori of Hiiraan region on Friday after engaging in fierce fighting Somali forces.
Despite the claims of the militants, the casualties of the fighting have yet not been established.
The government forces seized the town last month following covert dawn attack against Al-Shabab in Muqokori.