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19 Somalis, 8 Kenyans Killed in Attacks, Including 2 in US Drone Strike, 8 Civilians in Mogadishu, 7 in Galmudug

June 17, 2019

Al-Shabaab forces in southern Somalia, file, June 15, 2019	US drone operating in Somalia, file

 

U.S. airstrike kills 2 al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia

Shabelle, June 18, 2019

The United States military said Monday its special forces killed two al-Shabab militants in an airstrike in southern Somalia on Sunday.

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strike was conducted in cooperation with Somali government near Jilib, Middle Juba Region.

Since 2017, the U.S. military has stepped up air raids against al-Shabab. The al-Shabab group still controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab speaks about its latest attacks in Somalia and Kenya

Shabelle, June 17, 2019

Somali militants killed eight Kenyan police with a roadside bomb near the border between the two countries on Saturday, officials said, while another eight died in a bombing the same group carried out in the Somali capital.

Both attacks were claimed by Somali Islamist insurgents, who also kidnapped three Kenyan police reservists on Friday from the same area, in Wajir district in northeast Kenya.

Kenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the border since 2011. The Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested control of the territory from al Shabaab jihadists after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.

Al Shabaab is fighting the weak, U.N.-backed Somali government and its international allies in a quest to impose strict Islamic law.

The vehicle that was hit by the roadside bomb was carrying 11 policemen, police spokesman Charles Owino told Reuters. A local official said eight were killed.

“Eight bodies were found and taken to Wajir. Two were rescued, but they are in critical condition,” said Muhumed Ali Gedi, a member of the local community security team from Wajir who witnessed the rescue mission.

In Mogadishu, al Shabaab detonated two bombs. Police said the first blast, at a busy junction known as K4, was a car bomb intercepted by security services that caused no casualties.

The other blast killed eight people and injured 16, said Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Aamin ambulance service.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, said the group was responsible for the blast in Kenya and the two in Mogadishu.

Galmudug state forces carry out attacks after mass shooting

Shabelle, June 16, 2019

Galmudug State security forces have launched an operation in the southern parts of Galkayo town following the murder of 9 civilians on Friday night.

The mass shooting drew local and international condemnations as Somali government vows credible investigation into the tragic incident.

Galkayo has seen increasing attacks, killings and rape in the past few months as the local authorities are trying to handle the security which could undermine the ongoing efforts.

The killing of the nine people hailing from the southern regions came following the assassination of a local security official that was claimed by Al-Shabaab.

Somali police arrest suspect in Mogadishu car bombing

Shabelle, June 15, 2019

Somalia police confirmed the arrest of a suspect following a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack in Mogadishu on Saturday.

Zakia Hussein, deputy police commander confirmed that no one was injured in the attack. The VBIED went off near the security checkpoint at KM4 junction.

“The driver of the VBIED has been apprehended and there were no casualties resulting from the blast,” Hussein said in a statement.

She said another separate VBIED went off near Sayid Junction, and promised to provide more details concerning the attack, the latest in the restive capital, Mogadishu.

No group has claimed responsibility for the two latest attacks in Mogadishu but extremist group, al-Shabab which is fighting to overthrow the government, usually stages such deadly attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.

The move comes while Mogadishu is on high alert as police forces blocked the main roads of the capital to prevent possible attacks by the militants.

Somali National Army (SNA) backed by African Union Mission in Somalia have driven al-Shabab militants out of Mogadishu, but the terror group is still capable of conducting attacks, targeting government installations, hotels, restaurants and public places.

Al-Shabaab says it carried out attack in Kenya, captured soldiers

Shabelle, June 15, 2019

Heavily armed fighters from Al-Shabaab have launched a planned attack in Kenya’s northeastern region, near the porous border with Somalia.

Al-Shabaab said in a statement posted on its affiliated media outlets that the militants seized control of Kontonka village located in the outskirts of Wajir town during the attack.

The statement added that several Kenyan Police officers were taken hostage and confiscated two motorbikes as well as military equipment.

Al-Shabaab vowed to continue attacks in Kenya, in revenge for its military involvement in Somalia, where 22,000 AU soldiers are battling the group for a decade.

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