Sunday, October 16, 2011

Somali forces seize key al Shabaab village in south; drone air-strikes reported

A large number of Somali government forces aided by local Raskamboni armed militia on Saturday seized a key al Shabaab village in southern Somalia after fierce fighting,

Some reports from the area suggest that unmanned aerial vehicles believed to have been operated by U.S forces have conducted aerial raids targeting key al Shabaab military bases around the Qoqani village area.

Military officials confirmed the seizure of the village of Qoqani, about 90 kilometers east of the border town of Dhoble in the Lower Jubba region.

“The village is very strategic and will help the government troops in the continuation of their advances in Kismayo seaside and port town, where the al Qaeda linked group tightly controls” an official, who asked his name not to be published because he was authorized to speak to the media, told AHN by phone at Qoqani.

The extremist group has not released any comments about the government’s claim in capturing the village.

There is no exact number of deaths or injuries. But, local residents told AHN that al Shabaab fighters who came under the attack sustained casualties.

Source: www.allheadlinenews.com

No comments:

Post a Comment