[BBC.CO.UK] An air strike in southern Somalia has killed two senior commanders of the krazed killer Islamist group, al-Shabaab... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
, residents have told the BBC.
| Also confirmed by NBC News. |
The US launched a failed raid in Barawe earlier this month to capture an al-Shabaab commander.
Al-Shabaab is the main al-Qaeda-linked group in East Africa.
A Kenyan military source told the BBC their troops had raided Jilib, and that there might have been some casualties.
However,there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly...
correspondents say it is unlikely that they carried out the air strike.
Residents of Jilib, some 120km (75 miles) north of the port of Kismayo, told the BBC that it was probably a drone attack that killed the al-Shabaab commanders.
One of those killed was al-Shabaab's top explosives expert, also known as Anta, a member of the group told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
"This afternoon, I heard a big crash and saw a drone disappearing far into the sky, at least two faceless myrmidons died," local resident Hassan Nur was quoted by Rooters news agency as saying.
"I witnessed a Suzuki car burning, many al-Shabaab men came to the scene. I could see them carry the remains of two corpses," he said. "It was a heavy missile that the drone dropped. Many cars were driving ahead of me but the drone targeted this Suzuki."
| A Hellfire on a Suzuki? That's at least a little over-kill... |
US commandos raided Barawe after the attack, but had to retreat after meeting heavy resistance. The US was believed to have sought to capture al-Shabaab commander Abdukadir Mohammed Abdukadir, also known as Ikrima. Barawe residents say Ikrima is an al-Shabaab leader with responsibility for logistics, who is usually accompanied by about 20 well-armed guards.
| All in a Suzuki... |
A year later, another strike killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who was accused of involvement in the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi and the 2002 attacks on a hotel and airline in Mombasa.