US Confirms It Launched Airstrike During Battle in Somalia Over Village Captured By al-Shabaab

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed on Friday that its forces launched an airstrike near Nuur Dugle, a village in southern Somalia that al-Shabaab captured after a battle with US-backed forces, on December 18.

“The airstrikes occurred in the vicinity of Nuur Dugle, Somalia, approximately 215 km northeast of Mogadishu,” AFRICOM said in a press release.

Somali media initially reported that al-Shabaab took the village on December 18 after fierce fighting and that there were unconfirmed reports of a US airstrike. Al-Shabaab-affiliated media claimed that the group killed 11 government fighters, but the number hasn’t been confirmed by the Somali government.