NAIROBI, Kenya -- Six U.S. airstrikes that killed more than 60 people in a coastal Somali town were pre-emptive strikes to prevent a major extremist attack, according to a Somali intelligence officer.
The U.S. military said Monday it carried out four strikes on Saturday in which 34 people were killed, then carried out two more strikes on Sunday in which 28 people were killed. The air attacks targeted Gandarshe, south of the capital, Mogadishu, it said.
No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, it said.
The strikes were carried out in close coordination with Somalia's government and were "conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks," said the U.S. military statement.
Al-Shabab controls parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to stage deadly attacks in Mogadishu and other cities.
The U.S. airstrikes were aimed at al-Shabab fighters who were preparing a major attack on a Somali government military base in the Lower Shabelle region, said a Somali intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
"The strike has neutralized an imminent attack," he said. The airstrikes hit both a military camp and battle vehicles in Gandarshe, the official told The Associated Press.
Al-Shabab has long used historic Gandarshe town, roughly 30 miles southwest of Mogadishu, as a launching pad from for attacks, including car bombs that hit the capital.
With the weekend attacks, the U.S. military has carried out at least 46 airstrikes so far this year against al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida and is Africa's most active Islamic extremist group.
The U.S. airstrikes have picked up since President Donald Trump took office and approved expanded military operations in the Horn of Africa nation. Airstrikes also target a small presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State group. The U.S. has about 500 military personnel in Somalia and earlier this month opened a permanent diplomatic presence in Mogadishu.
A Section on 12/18/2018