Somalia / US

US Military corfirms missile strike

Article published on the 2008-05-02 Latest update 2008-05-02 07:19 TU

A US gunship in Somalia
(Source: AFP)

The US military has confirmed that it carried out a pre-dawn missile strike which killed a senior leader of an Islamist militant group in Somalia. The strike hit the home of Aden Hashi Ayro, the military head of al-Shabab, the military wing of the Islamic Courts Union, which controls much of Somalia. The attack has killed him and at least 10 other people.

 A spokesman for the US Central Command said the target of the attack in the town of Dusamareb was an al-Qaeda leader.

Local elders claim that up to 30 bodies have been recovered from the scene, according to unconfirmed reports.

The US confirmed the strike, but refused to reveal any details, including the identity of the Islamist leader.

"Until we have an opportunity to analyze the strike, we don't want to reveal any information," according to a US Defense Department spokesman.

Warplanes dropped three  large bombs on a house during Thursday's pre-dawn strike, according to witnesses. Ayro, the target of the strike, was the military leader of the Shabab, a group on the US terrorist list.

Islamists called it an "unprovoked attack."