US Terror Drones Kill 35, Wounds Dozens In Southern Somalia

A US drone crashed at Halane, Somalia on February 29, 2012. Scores have been killed in the Horn of Africa nation by the Pentagon and the CIA., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

US terror drones kill 35, wounds dozens in southern Somalia

Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:59AM GMT
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At least 35 people have been killed and dozens of others wounded in a missile attack by two US assassination drones in southern Somalia, Press TV reports.

The casualties come after an unmanned aircraft fired several missiles at al-Shabab training bases located between the country’s capital city of Mogadishu and its neighboring city Afgoye on Thursday.

Captain Mohamed Haruun, a military official from the Halane military base, confirmed the attack, saying two US assassination drones were sent from the base late at night.

Haruun added that dozens of Somali troops were later deployed to seize the control of the damaged bases to from al-Shabab fighters.

The US military uses remote-controlled drones in Somalia to carry out reconnaissance operations and targeted killings. The US has been using its drones in other countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and.

The UN has slammed the US drone attacks as targeted killing and says they pose a challenge to international law.

In a recent statement issued from Somalia’s al-Shabab fighters, the group promised to intensify their deadly attacks against the government and its foreign military supporters.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years and is propped up by African Union troops from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.


Bomb attacks leave six dead in south Somalia

Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:23PM GMT
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At least six people have been killed and 17 others injured as two coordinated bomb explosions ripped through a region in southwestern Somalia, Press TV reports.

The first blast took place at a restaurant in the town of Garbaharey, the capital of Gedo region and situated 528 kilometers (328 miles) southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu, on Sunday, killing three people, among them transitional government soldiers.

Ten other people suffered various degrees of injury as a result of the explosion.

“The restaurant was packed with people, mainly government officials and troops, at the time of the blast. I saw three dead bodies on the ground as wounded people were being taken out, Abdi Dhuurgal, a witness, told Press TV.

Shortly later, a remote-controlled explosive device was set off inside a market, killing three more people. Local officials said the blast apparently targeted Ethiopian and Somali soldiers, who were patrolling the area.

They added that a prominent elder was among the dead, and the wounded victims have been rushed to the main hospital in the town.

Meanwhile, al-Shabab militants have claimed responsibility for the acts of terror, saying that they could cause extensive structural damage to strategic and important facilities in Garbaharey.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years and is propped up by thousands of African Union soldiers from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.