US says drone attack in Somalia targets al-Shabab leader
Iran Press TV
Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:33AM GMT
The US military says it has carried out a drone attack targeting a senior leader of the al-Shabab militant group in Somalia.
'The strike took place in the vicinity of (the southern town of) Saakow, Somalia,' US Defense Department spokesman Mark Wright said in a statement issued on Monday.
'We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information, when appropriate, as details become available.'
The statement did not name the leader targeted in the assault or say whether the raid was successful.
In September, al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US airstrike.
Following Godane's death, al-Shabab appointed Sheikh Ahmed Umar Abu Ubaida as its new leader.
The US carries out targeted killings through drone strikes in several other Muslim countries such as Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Washington claims the targets of the drone attacks are militants, but local officials and witnesses maintain that civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.
The United Nations says the US drone strikes pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.
Somalia has been the scene of clashes between government forces and al-Shabab militants since 2006.
MSM/BB/HRB
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