Image copyright AFP Image caption The US says it is committed to eradicating al-Shabab safe havens in Somalia

The US military says it has killed 62 fighters from the Islamist group al-Shabab in six air strikes in Somalia.

Four air strikes on Saturday killed 32 militants and a further two on Sunday killed 28, it said in a statement.

These were the deadliest air attacks in Somalia since November 2017 when the US said it had killed 100 militants.

Somalia has seen a sharp increase in the number of air strikes and casualties since President Donald Trump took office in the US in January 2017.

A tally by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals that at least 400 people have been killed in air strikes since the beginning of 2017, far more than the previous 10 years combined.

The latest strikes bring to at least 40 the number carried out in Somalia so far this year, compared with 35 recorded in 2017.

The US has a huge military base in neighbouring Djibouti, from where it launches attacks on the militants.

Mr Trump gave the US military greater authority in March 2017 to attack militants in Somalia.

Traditionally, US presidents have been wary of intervening in Somalia since 18 special forces soldiers died fighting militias in the capital Mogadishu in 1993, a battle dramatised in the film Black Hawk Down.

'Terrorist safe haven'

No civilians were killed in the latest air strikes, which were carried out in co-ordination with the Somali government, the US military said.

"Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al-Shabab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia," the US Africa Command said.

Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has not yet commented on the latest strikes.

Somalia-based security think tank the Hiraal Institute said in a report published in November that al-Shabab had been forced to change tactics following the upsurge in air strikes.

The institute said the group was now conducting fewer mass attacks on military bases, but attacks on government offices and businesses which refused to pay it taxes had increased markedly.

The US state department, in its most recent report on terrorism, described Somalia as a "terrorist safe haven" and said al-Shabab remained a threat, despite suffering setbacks.

The group retained control over large parts of the country, and the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using suicide bombers, explosive devices, mortars and small arms, the report added.</s>The US has killed 62 militants in six air strikes in Somalia's south-central Banaadir province, the country's military says.

The Africa Command (Africom) says four strikes were carried out on Saturday near Gandarsh, killing 34 militants, and two more on Sunday, which killed 28.

"Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these air strikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks," Africom said in a statement.

The air strikes, among the deadliest this year, did not kill any civilians, the statement said.

The United States carries out regular air strikes in Somalia in support of a UN-backed government there, which has been fighting against an al-Shabaab insurgency for years.

Last month, the US military said it had killed 37 militants.

In Washington, the Pentagon cited 45 strikes against al-Shabaab militants this year after 35 strikes in 2017.

As of August 2018, the Pentagon believes there were 3000 to 7000 al-Shabaab fighters and 70 to 250 Islamic State militants in Somalia, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said during a media briefing.</s>NAIROBI: The U.S. military said on Monday it had killed 62 militants in six air strikes over the weekend in the vicinity of Gandarsh in Somalia's south-central Banaadir province.

The military's Africa Command (Africom) said four strikes were carried out on Saturday, killing 34 militants, and two more on Sunday, which killed 28. "Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these air strikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks," Africom said in a statement.

The air strikes, among the deadliest this year, did not kill any civilians, the statement said.

"At this time we assess these air strikes did not injure or kill any civilians."

The United States carries out regular air strikes in Somalia in support of a U.N.-backed government there, which has been fighting against an al Shabaab insurgency for years.

Last month, the U.S. military said it had killed 37 militants.

In Washington, the Pentagon cited 45 strikes against al Shabaab militants this year, after 35 strikes in 2017.

As of August 2018, the Pentagon believes there were 3,000 to 7,000 al Shabaab fighters and 70 to 250 Islamic State militants in Somalia, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said during a press briefing.</s>Washington, United States | AFP | The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist Shabaab movement in six air strikes in Somalia.

Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement.

The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants.

The strikes were conducted with “our Somali partners to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as safe havens to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said, noting that no civilians had been killed or injured.

The action brings to 45 the number of strikes the Pentagon has conducted against Shabaab so far in 2018, Manning said.

Last year, the figure was 35. Manning attributed the increase to operations becoming more “efficient.”

“We’re getting better. And because we’re getting better we’re able to … find, fix and eliminate those terrorist organizations,” Manning said.

The surge in US operations in Somalia came after President Donald Trump in March 2017 loosened the constraints on the US military to take actions against alleged terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval.

American forces are partnering with African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia.

As of August, the Pentagon assesses there to be between 3,000 and 7,000 Shabaab fighters and 70 to 250 Islamic State Somalia fighters in the Horn of Africa nation.</s>NAIROBI (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday it had killed 62 militants in six air strikes on Saturday and Sunday in the vicinity of Gandarsh in Somalia’s south-central Banaadir province.

The military’s Africa Command (Africom) said four strikes were carried out on Saturday, killing 34 militants, and two more on Sunday, which killed 28. “Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these air strikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks,” Africom said in a statement.

The air strikes, among the deadliest this year, did not kill any civilians, the statement said.

“At this time we assess these air strikes did not injure or kill any civilians.”

The United States carries out regular air strikes in Somalia in support of a U.N.-backed government there, which has been fighting against an al Shabaab insurgency for years.

Last month, the U.S. military said it had killed 37 militants.</s>The U.S. military over the weekend unleashed an intense air assault targeting al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, killing at least 62 in a series of strikes aimed at denying the terrorist group a safe haven from which to launch attacks.

The strikes in the Gandarshe region of Somalia — which mark the latest step in a growing U.S.-led military campaign targeting the terrorist group in Africa — were conducted in coordination with the Somali government, U.S. Africa Command said in a statement early Monday morning.

At least 34 militants were killed on Saturday and another 28 killed Sunday, Pentagon officials said.

The military said no civilians were killed or injured in any of the six separate bombings.

“All six airstrikes … targeted a known al-Shabaab encampment,” U.S. Africa Command said in the statement. “U.S. Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these airstrikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks.”

“We are committed to preventing al-Shabaab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia,” the U.S. military said. “In particular, the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists.”

The U.S. in recent months has ramped up its air campaign against the terrorist group, which is affiliated with al Qaeda. There are estimated to be as many as 9,000 al-Shabaab fighters across Somalia.

In addition to the continuing air strikes, there have also been clashes between al-Shabaab fighters and U.S. forces on the ground in Somalia.

Last June, an American soldier was killed and another four wounded in a firefight with militants in southwestern Somalia.</s>The U.S. military says it carried out six airstrikes in the Gandarshe area of Somalia over the weekend, killing dozens of al-Shabaab rebels.

Four of the strikes took place on Dec. 15, killing 34 people. Two more were conducted on Dec. 16, killing 28. The air attacks targeted Gandarshe, south of the capital, Mogadishu, the military said.

No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, it said.

The strikes were carried out in close co-ordination with Somalia's government and were "conducted to prevent al-Shabaab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks," said the U.S. military statement.

The military's comments about the number of dead and that no civilians were killed haven't been independently verified.

Al-Shabab uses parts of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct extremist attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radicals, said U.S. military statement.

With these attacks, the military has carried out at least 46 airstrikes this year against al-Shabaab, which is allied with al-Qaeda and is Africa's most active Islamic militant group. Al-Shabaab controls parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to stage deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other cities.

The United States carries out regular airstrikes in Somalia in support of a UN-backed government there, which has been fighting against an al Shabaab insurgency for years.

American airstrikes have picked up dramatically since U.S. President Donald Trump took office and approved expanded military operations in the Horn of Africa country. U.S. airstrikes have also targeted a small presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Several years ago, al-Shabab controlled large swaths of Somalia, including much of the capital city. The African Union forces succeeded in pushing the extremists from Mogadishu and most other major cities.

However, al-Shabab continues to be active in Somalia's rural areas and launches suicide car bomb attacks in the capital. In October last year, a massive truck bomb killed more than 500 people.</s>U.S. airstrikes killed 62 militants in Somalia over the weekend, the U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said Monday.

Six airstrikes against the Al-Qaeda affiliated al Shabaab group were carried out near the capital Mogadishu on Saturday and Sunday.

“At this time we assess these airstrikes did not injure or kill any civilians,” Africom said in a statement.

The airstrikes are amongst the deadliest this year, and are part of a military escalation in the east African country led by the Trump Administration with the support of the Somali government and the African Union, which has security forces stationed there.

Somalia’s U.N.-backed government is at war with al Shabaab, which controls parts of the country. The group is suspected of carrying out a massive truck bombing in October 2017 which killed at least 587 people and wounded many more. The group also has a growing presence in Kenya.

“Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al Shabaab from taking advantage of safe havens,” Africom said in a statement on Monday.

More than 500 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Somalia. However the U.S. has said its long-term aim is to transfer responsibility for security to the Somali government.</s>About 62 militants from the jihadist al-Shabab movement have been killed following six air strikes by the US Military in Somalia.

The US military said Monday that four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28.

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The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants.

According to a statement by the US Africa Command, all six airstrikes were “conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks,”.</s>NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17- Some 62 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in Somalia during 6 air strikes by the United States forces.

The airstrikes that were launched between Friday and Saturday last week targeted the militants within the vicinity of Gandarshe.

The first airstrikes claimed the lives of 34 militants while 28 others were killed on Saturday according to a statement issued by the Germany based US-Africa Command.

“Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al-Shabaab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia. In particular, the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists,” the US-Africa command said in a statement.

In the past, the US forces have been accused of killing civilians during such airstrikes, but none was killed according to a preliminary assessment, the Command says.

Together with other AMISOM forces, the US said it conducted the airstrikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks in Somalia and the region.

On October 16, an airstrike left 60 dead in Central Somalia. This was the deadliest attack since November 2017 when 100 terrorists were killed.

In the past, the US forces have been accused of killing civilians during the air strikes.

Since 2007, Al Shabaab has fought to overthrow successive internationally-backed governments in Mogadishu.

It was in 2011 that the Al-Qaeda affiliated group was pushed out of Mogadishu, the Somali capital and subsequently from other key towns including the port city of Kismayu.
Six U.S. air strikes over the weekend kill at least 62 Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, according to The Pentagon.