US military hits Shabaab in haven south of Somali capital
By Bill Roggio | February 13, 2019
The US military conducted two airstrikes against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia, in a terrorist haven outside of the capital of Mogadishu.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced today that it killed 12 Shabaab fighters in two operations on Feb. 11 in the town of Janaale, which is 40 miles southwest of Mogadishu. The attacks were launched “as Somali forces were leading an operation in an area where al-Shabaab conducts terrorist activities, as well as exploits the local populace for illegal taxes,†AFRICOM reported.
Janaale is 10 miles west of the town of Gandarshe, a Shabaab dominated area along the Somali coast. AFRICOM has launched nine airstrikes against Shabaab in Gandarshe since Dec. 15, 2018, killing 76 Shabaab fighters, according to data compiled by FDD’s Long War Journal. AFRICOM’s targets in Gandarshe include several so-called Shabaab “encampments.â€
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/02/us-military-hits-shabaab-in-haven-south-of-somali-capital.php
