A U.S. military strike has killed approximately 30 Islamist al-Shabab militants near the central Somali town of Galcad, where Somalia's military was engaged in heavy fighting, U.S. Africa Command said in a statement. The operation, which the U.S. military described as a "collective self-defense strike," occurred Friday about 162 miles (260 km) north of the capital Mogadishu, where Somali national forces were under attack by more than 100 al-Shabab fighters, the statement said. U.S. Africa Command, the military arm of the American government's presence on the continent, said no civilians were injured or killed in the strike. Al-Shabab fighters had stormed a Somali military base in Galcad Friday and killed at least seven soldiers, according to the Somali government and the militant group. Friday's attack underscored the formidable threat that al-Shabab poses for Somalia's military, despite government successes against the al-Qaida-allied militants last year.

Source: Ethiopian News January 22, 2023 12:35 UTC