150 al-Shabab militants killed in US pounding of Somalia training camp

At least 150 al-Shabab militants in Somalia were obliterated after a US air strike hit a camp where a “large scale” attack was being planned, the Pentagon says.

Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the militants were planning to launch a deadly attack on US and AU forces before the air strike.

“We know they were going to be departing the camp and they posed an imminent threat to US and [African Union] forces,” Captain Davis said.

“Initial assessments are that more than 150 terrorist fighters were eliminated,” he added.

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Mr Davis said the strike, by both drones and manned aircraft, took place on Saturday and targeted Raso Camp, a training facility about 120 miles (195km) north of the capital, Mogadishu.
The camp had been under surveillance for some time, according to Mr Davis. “There was a sense that the operational phase was about to happen,” he said.He said the group had neared the completion of specialist training to conduct “offensive operations”, but did not give any details about the alleged plans.
Since 2011, al-Shabab has continued to launch frequent attacks in its bid to overthrow the Western-backed Somali government.

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