Mogadishu (Halbeeg News) – The United States military has conducted a new airstrike against al-Shabab in the Middle Juba region of southern Somalia.
According to a statement by the U.S. Africa Command known as AFRICOM, the airstrike took place in Jilib town on Saturday in collaboration with the Somali federal government.
Jilib town which is an al-Shabaab stronghold lies about 385 kilometres (239 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.
“The command’s initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed.
The development comes as Somalia’s head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Mahad Salad is in Washington to brief US officials about Somalia’s plans to eradicate al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, which has been fighting the Somali government for the past decade.
Salad is expected to meet with the Pentagon, FBI and CIA Officials.
Somalia is planning to launch the second phase of the operations against al-Shabaab fighters in south-central regions.
The first phase of the operations which started last July had managed to liberate dozens of villages and towns in Hiiraan, Mudug, Middle Shabelle and Galgaduud regions.
The government claimed to have killed thousands of al-Shabaab fighters during operations.
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