Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) says a precision airstrike hit an al-Shabaab convoy near the village of Bulo Hog on Sunday, killing at least seven militants and blowing up two trucks packed with weapons.
NISA said agents had shadowed the vehicles from the Shaw area of Hiraan before ordering the strike as the convoy approached the rebel-held town of Buq-Aqable, 268 km north of Mogadishu. The agency called the target “Khawaarij,” its term for the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.
The attack follows three government raids in Middle Shabelle on Friday that left 13 militants dead, including several field commanders.
Al-Shabaab has fought the Somali state since 2008, mounting frequent bombings and ambushes against security forces, officials and civilians.