On May 27, US officials said the country conducted an airstrike that destroyed a large amount of weapons and equipment stolen by the Al-Shabaab militant group. The airstrike targeted a location near a military base of an African Union (AU) mission in Somalia that was attacked by Al-Shabaab a day earlier.
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| Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle, Somalia, February 17, 2011. Photo: AFP/VNA |
In a statement, the US Africa Command confirmed the information, saying that the airstrike was carried out on May 26 in support of the Federal Government of Somalia and the AU Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). According to initial assessments, there were no civilian casualties in this operation.
Earlier in the day, Al-Shabaab, an extremist group with ties to the international terrorist network Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack on the military base in Bulo Marer, 120km southwest of the capital Mogadishu. The base is home to Ugandan forces from ATMIS. Al-Shabaab gunmen drove a car loaded with explosives into the military base and exchanged fire with Ugandan forces at the base, causing heavy casualties.
The Ugandan military said it had dispatched a team of experts from the Uganda People's Defence Forces to investigate the attack. The team is led by Army Commander Lieutenant General Kayanja Muhanga.
Uganda is one of the countries contributing forces to ATMIS to prevent and suppress terrorists in Somalia, along with other countries including Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Al Shabaab has been fighting the government in Somalia since 2006. Since August last year, pro-Somali government forces backed by ATMIS, which has 20,000 soldiers, have launched an offensive against the group.
VNA
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