美軍空襲索馬里青年黨

U.S. forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabab in Somalia on Thursday, killing "several militants," according to the U.S. military.

The drone strike hit targets in the Bay Region of Somalia, about 160 kilometers west of the capital, Mogadishu, Pentagon spokeswoman Audricia Harris told VOA.

No civilians were killed in the strike, Harris said.

According to a statement from U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), the strike occurred about 3 p.m. local time in Somalia in coordination with the Somali government.

"U.S. forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect Americans and to disable terrorist threats," Africa Command said.
The strike comes less than a week after U.S. airstrikes targeted Islamic State (IS) fighters in the country's north.

Jama Mohamed Qurshe, the chairman of the town of Qandala, told VOA Somali that the U.S. strikes last Friday hit a base for IS militants at Buqa village, about 60 kilometers south of his town, in the semiautonomous region of Puntland.

A U.S. Africa Command official told VOA those two strikes killed "fewer than five" Islamic State fighters. They were the first U.S. airstrikes against IS militants in Somalia.美國軍方說，美軍星期四對索馬里的“青年黨”進行了一次空襲，打死“幾名激進分子”。

五角大樓發言人奧德麗西婭·哈里斯對美國之音說，這次無人機襲擊擊中了首都摩加迪沙以西大約160公里的拜州地區的目標。

哈里斯說，襲擊沒有打死任何平民。

美國非洲司令部發表聲明說，襲擊發生在當地時間大約下午3點，美軍與索馬里政府進行了協調。

非洲司令部說：“美軍將繼續使用所有被授權的恰當措施來保護美國人並解除恐怖主義威脅。”

在這次襲擊的不到一個星期前，美軍空襲了索馬里北部的“伊斯蘭國”武裝分子。

坎達拉鎮的負責人嘉瑪·默罕默德·丘爾舎星期五告訴美國之音索馬里組說，美軍上星期五的襲擊目標是坎達拉鎮以南大約60公里的巴卡村“伊斯蘭國”激進分子根據地。當地位於半自治的龐特蘭地區。

美國非洲司令部的一名官員對美國之音說，這兩次襲擊打死了 “不到五名”伊斯蘭國武裝分子。這是美國首次空襲索馬里境內的伊斯蘭國激進分子。