The US military claimed responsibility for a series of strikes in Somalia over the past 24 hours. The statement released online by AFRICOM revealed the US carried out three consecutive strikes targeting the Al Shabaab controlled town of Mubarak in the Lower Shabelle province.
The statement went further claiming 8 militants where killed in the aerial bombardment. However these allegations are difficult to confirm. AFRICOM has been caught red handed in the past lying about civilian casualties in Somalia as revealed by numerous rights groups such as Amnesty International.
Therefore, it’s possible the victims in the latest drone strike where in fact civilians and not combatants knowing its impossible for outsiders to access Al Shabaab controlled territory in Somalia and assess the aftermath of the drone strike. This includes journalists and humanitarians.
With that being said, the town at the heart of the recent drone strike is Mubarak. A logistical hub and major taxation venue for the Al Qaeda affiliated armed group Al Shabaab located in the volatile Lower Shabelle province of Somalia.
Mubarak has been under Al Shabaab rule since early 2009. The town serves as the base of Al Shabaab operations in the region and has been besieged relentlessly by US drones over the past few years.
The latest US drone strike targeting the Militant controlled town of Mubarak is the third US drone strike in Somalia within the span of a week. The previous strikes earlier this week targeted Al Shabaab controlled territory in Bay province in the southwest of the country.
In all the drone strikes this week the US claimed no civilians where killed, however in most cases there often wrong or simply lying. The US has conducted a staggering 34 drone strikes in Somalia so far this year and are on track to surpass there previous record in 2019 which topped at 63.
Halgan Media Service Desk
Contact us : info@halganmedia.net
