Casualties in Drone Strike in Somalia

Local leaders in Somalia confirmed on Friday that a suspected drone strike resulted in the deaths of five civilians and three members of the al-Shabaab militant group in the central part of the country, as the fighters sought refuge in a family's home. There were varying accounts of the incident, but the Somali government broadcasting agency reported that a woman and two children were killed after a landmine exploded, which the militants had hidden in a house in the village of Ayl Leheli in the Galguduud region. The Somali National News Agency "SONA" mentioned that the three militants who were killed in the attack were senior al-Shabaab leaders linked to al-Qaeda, including Alow Ali Gulid, believed to be the group's leader in Galguduud. The agency added that they were killed in a "special operation" on Wednesday evening, without mentioning the use of a drone or the death of the family. The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which assists the Somali government in its ongoing campaign against al-Shabaab, confirmed the deaths of three militants and the evacuation of injured civilians.