WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US military confirmed it had launched airstrikes over the weekend against an al-Shabaab training facility in Somalia, the US Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday.
"On Saturday, March 5, the US military, in self-defense and in defense of our African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) partners, conducted an airstrike in Somalia against Raso Camp, a training facility of al-Shabaab," Defense Department spokesperson Peter Cook said.
Cook explained the al-Shabaab terrorists were scheduled to depart the camp and posed an imminent threat to US and AMISOM forces in Somalia.
Earlier on Monday, the media reported that US drones had launched Hellfire missiles that killed at least 100 al-Shabab militants. The Defense Department pointed out it was assessing the results of the operation, while the White House noted they could not confirm whether it had any impact on civilians in the area.
The Defense Department also said that the latest removal of Somali militants "degrades al-Shabaab's ability to meet the group's objectives in Somalia, including recruiting new members, establishing bases, and planning attacks on US and AMISOM forces."
Al-Shabaab has said it seeks to overthrow the Somali government to impose a strict version of Islam in the country, while the group has also claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in Somalia and on border towns in Kenya.
