WASHINGTON – An American military airstrike in Somalia more than a year ago killed two civilians and injured three others, U.S.
Africa Command acknowledged in a new report on Monday. The deaths, confirmed by an internal investigation, mark only the second time Africa Command has determined that civilians were killed in a military strike in Somalia.
The decision comes even as U.S. airstrikes against the al-Qaida linked al-Shabab extremist group this year are increasingly outpacing 2019 totals.
Already there have been 39 airstrikes in 2020, compared to last year’s total of 63. Maj. Gen. William Gayler, director of operations for Africa Command, told The Associated Press in an interview that the strike on Feb.