US AFRICOM which oversees US military operations in Africa has claimed responsibility for a deadly drone strike on the night of March 27th targeting the town of Buula Fuulaay in Somalia’s Bay province.
The US claimed two militants from the Al Qaeda affiliated Militant group Al Shabaab where killed in the drone strike. The statement published by US AFRICOM went further and stated no civilians where killed in the drone strike.
There could be no independent verification of these latest claims made by AFRICOM. The reason for this is that it’s impossible for regular journalists and aid agencies to access Al Shabaab controlled territory in Somalia and assess weather the casualties from these strikes are indeed combatants or civilians, which has many questioning the legitimacy of the claims spewed by the Americans.
In similiar drone attacks, the US claimed the dead where Militants but it was debunked once it was revealed the victims where in fact civilians. The most recent example was the deadly drone strike targeting the town of Janaale on the 10th of March, when US predator drones bombed a minibus leaving 6 civilians dead.
The deaths of these civilians in Janaale where corroborated by family members and even members of parliament that spoke with the press.
However as we glide back into the most recent US drone in Somalia that targeted the town of Buula Fuulaay, the militant group Al Shabaab released a statement contradicting the US on the pro militant website dubbed Somali Memo.
In the statement published via Somali Memo, the Al Qaeda affiliated Militant group Al Shabaab claims the individuals killed in the strike where in fact civilians and not combatants. The statement goes further and identifies both victims by name as Abdifatah Abdirahman Adan and Addow Aliyoow Keerow.
The statement published online by the Militants also contained an interview with an eyewitness that reportedly resides in the Al Shabaab controlled town of Buula Fuulaay and witnessed the aftermath of the US drone strike.
The militants also vowed to release photos of the victims that where killed in the US drone strike targeting the town of Buula Fuulaay. As of now they haven’t released any photos or concrete evidence to back up there claims but if they do, than the militants would have once again debunked the US claims of “no civilian casualties”.
Halgan Media Service Desk
Contact us : info@halganmedia.net
