According to US African Command (AFRICOM), the US carried out three airstrikes against al-Shabaab targets in southern Somalia on Sunday. They say the strikes killed eight people, all suspected militants, and no civilians.



Officials did not say why they targeted the Lower Shabelle area, an area commonly targeted for airstrikes, or what the eight suspects were thought to be doing. The US has been carrying out a growing number of airstrikes in Somalia, killing largely inconsequential suspected members of al-Shabaab.



AFRICOM denied claims that they’ve failed repeatedly to document civilian deaths, and that the bombings don’t seem to be accomplishing anything, saying their internal assessments defend the continued US airstrikes in Somalia.



US airstrikes against al-Shabaab have escalated substantially since President Trump took office, and largely, al-Shabaab holds the same territory they did when the strikes began.



Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz