U.S. military says it conducted two airstrikes in central Somalia Wednesday killing a total of 47 al-Shabab militants.
A statement issued by the U.S. Africa Command Tuesday said the first strike killed 37 militants. Africa Command described the attack as a “planned and deliberate action.”
It says a second strike on the same day killed another 10 Shabab militants. The statement said the airstrikes did not kill or injure civilians.
Locals told VOA Somali that the strikes targeted al-Shabab vehicles and militias.
In October, another U.S. airstrike in the vicinity of Harardhere killed at least 60 al-Shabab militants.
According to a count by VOA Somali, the U.S. has carried out about 30 airstrikes against al-Shabab this year, killing more than 200 militants.
Al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida, is trying to overthrow the Somali government and turn Somalia into a strict Islamic state.
U.S. airstrikes have killed numerous al-Shabab leaders over the years, including the group’s former emir Ahmed Godane in September 2014.
