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AFRICOM Says 2 Civilians Killed in Somalia Airstrike

Carla Babb

   WASHINGTON - [1]U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) says an airstrike that
   was intended to target al-Shabab fighters last February killed two
   civilians and wounded three others.

   The findings were part of AFRICOM's first quarterly report on civilian
   casualties and marks only the second time in the command's history that
   AFRICOM has said civilians were killed in Somalia as a result of U.S.
   airstrikes against Islamist militants there.

   "Since taking command, I have placed additional focus on increasing the
   transparency of our process," AFRICOM commander Gen. Stephen Townsend
   said in a press release Monday. "Where we come up short, we will admit
   it openly."

   The command said the two civilians were "regrettably and
   unintentionally killed" as a result of a strike on Feb. 23, 2019. The
   strike also killed two al-Shabab terrorists, who were the intended
   targets.

   "We have the highest respect for our Somali friends, and we are deeply
   sorry this occurred," Townsend said.

   AFRICOM said it conducted a total of 91 airstrikes against terror
   groups in Somalia and Libya from February 2019 to March 31, 2020.

   The command's quarterly report closed 20 allegations of civilian
   casualties that arose from those strikes through self-reporting,
   traditional and social media reporting, non-government organizations,
   and through internal oversight processes.'¯

References

   1. https://www.africom.mil/civilian-casualty-report-and-allegations

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