The US claimed responsibility for an overnight air raid targeting the Al Shabaab controlled town of Qunyo Barrow in southern Somalia.
The strikes carried out by AFRICOM took place shortly after Magrib in the volatile Lower Shabelle province of Somalia, which has remained a Militant stronghold for well over a decade.
According to AFRICOM two militants where killed in the drone strike targeting Qunyo Barrow. No civilians where killed or injured the statement went on to say.
The accuracy on these claims by US AFRICOM remain hard to verify. As of recently AFRICOM was directly implicated by Amnesty International for committing war crimes in Somalia due to the relentless US aerial bombardment besieging the country. This alone puts doubts into any claims made by AFRICOM regarding current or future strikes.
The battlefield in Somalia differs than other conflict ridden nations such as Yemen, Syria and Libya. The reason for this is that it remains impossible for local journalists and aid agencies in Somalia to access areas under the control of Al Shabaab, This makes it impossible to assess the aftermath of any US drone strikes.
The situation on the ground has been made worse by the Al Qaeda affiliated militant group Al Shabaab, which has banned the use of smart phones and all electronic devices in the areas under there rule. Therefore making it extremely difficult for accurate information to come out from insurgent controlled territory.
However the pro militant website dubbed Somali Memo which operates in Al Shabaab controlled areas with impunity released a series of gruesome photos online, alleging to be victims of the US drone raid targeting the town of Qunyo Barrow. The statement on Somali Memo claimed six civilians where wounded when 10 missiles hit a residential home in Qunyo Barrow.
The latest barrage of strikes targeting Qunyo Barrow have marked the 40th US drone strike in Somalia so far this year alone, surpassing the number of US drone strikes carried out during the eight year long Obama administration.
Halgan Media Service Desk
Contact us : info@halganmedia.net
