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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

US Air Strike Kills 13 ISIS Militants in Somalia

A soldier patrols the road as the damage is assessed after Shabaab hit a European Union armoured convoy in Mogadishu, Somalia October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

A US air strike killed 13 ISIS militants in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Wednesday, the US military said, days after another strike killed three.

The US military has stepped up its campaign of air strikes in Somalia since President Donald Trump took office, saying it has killed more than 800 militants in two years.

ISIS has gathered recruits in Puntland, although experts say the scale of its force is unclear and it remains a small player compared to the al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group that once controlled much of Somalia.

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said late on Thursday the latest strike targeted an ISIS-Somalia camp in northern Somalia’s Golis Mountains.

"At this time, it is assessed the air strike on May 8 killed 13 terrorists," it said.

AFRICOM said in April it had killed Abdulhakim Dhuqub, identifying him as ISIS's deputy leader in Somalia.

Shabaab was pushed out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011, but retains a strong presence in parts of southern and central Somalia and has often clashed with ISIS.

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