US Launches Airstrike against Somali Al-Shabab

Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. (AP)
Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. (AP)
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US Launches Airstrike against Somali Al-Shabab

Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. (AP)
Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia. (AP)

The US military announced an unspecified number of casualties following an airstrike against the extremist al-Shabab group.

The raid took place as the director of Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency made an unannounced trip tp Washington.

The United States military confirmed the new airstrike against al-Shabab.

The strike took place in Jilib town on Saturday in collaboration with the Somali federal government, according to a statement by the US Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, on Monday.

"The command's initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed," the statement said.

Avoiding civilian casualties remains a priority for the US military, it added.

The Somali National News Agency reported on Tuesday that the Somali army, in cooperation with international partners, carried out a military operation in Jilib leading to several casualties among al-Shabab and the destruction of their military equipment.

Meanwhile, Mahad Salad, director of Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency, made an unannounced visit to the US where he met officials from the Pentagon, CIA, and FBI to discuss security cooperation and combatting terrorism, revealed cabinet sources.

The state news agency reported that the Somali army continues to conduct military operations in cooperation with the popular resistance to defeated the al-Shabab group. These operations have led to the liberation of more than 80 cities and regions across the country.

Meanwhile, four Somali government soldiers were killed Monday in a roadside explosion in Mogadishu's Daynile district, the Ministry of Defense said.

The al-Shabab group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Brigadier General Abdullahi Ali Anod, the ministry's spokesperson, said three soldiers and an officer were killed.

This comes after a rare appearance of al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Omar Abu Ubaidah during the “Jihad in East Africa Conference”, which was attended by more than a hundred of the group’s leaders.

Al-Shabab media broadcast footage of the group leader during the eight-day conference.

Al-Shabab named Abu Ubaidah as the successor to Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US strike in September 2014.

The US is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Abu Ubaidah. The US Department of State designated him as a global terrorist in April 2015.



Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Strong explosions in Beirut's southern suburbs began near midnight and continued into Sunday after Israel's military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh.

Photos and video showed the blasts illuminating the southern suburbs, and sparking flashes of red and white visible from several kilometers away. They followed a day of sporadic strikes and the nearly continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.

Israel's military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed

from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

The strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport, and another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. Social media reports claimed that one of the strikes hit an oxygen tank storage facility, but this was later denied by the owner of the company Khaled Kaddouha.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that Israel had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in its ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah has not released death tolls.

Israel says it stepped up its assault on Hezbollah to enable the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last Oct. 8.

Israeli authorities said on Saturday that nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far.