Ethiopian airstrike kills 70 al-Shabab in Somalia: Report

AP , Saturday 15 Sep 2018

Attack in Somalia
Rescuers prepare to carry the dead body of an unidentified man from the scene of an explosion to an ambulance in Hodan district, Mogadishu, Somalia September 10, 2018. (Reuters)

A new report says Ethiopia's air force has killed about 70 al-Shabab extremists in an airstrike in neighboring Somalia.

The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate says the airstrike was meant to thwart an al-Shabab attack on an Ethiopian contingent of the multinational African Union force.

The report says "two vehicles packed with weapons" were destroyed. It does not say where or when the airstrike occurred.

It cites Brig. Gen. Yilma Merdassa with the air force as saying "we achieved 100 percent of our plans."

There is no immediate comment from Somali authorities.

Kenya, another member of the AU mission, also has carried out airstrikes against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, while the U.S. military has carried out at least 22 airstrikes against the extremist group this year.

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