{"id":74343,"date":"2018-09-23T16:56:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-23T16:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/23\/us-airstrike-kills-18-al-shabab-after-us-attacked-in-somalia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:53:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:53:46","slug":"us-airstrike-kills-18-al-shabab-after-us-attacked-in-somalia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/09\/23\/us-airstrike-kills-18-al-shabab-after-us-attacked-in-somalia\/","title":{"rendered":"US airstrike kills 18 al-Shabab after US attacked in Somalia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JOHANNESBURG \u2014 A U.S. military airstrike has killed 18 al-Shabab extremists after U.S. and local forces on the ground came under attack in southern Somalia, the U.S. Africa Command<\/a> said Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No U.S. or Somali forces were killed or injured in the attack, an AFRICOM spokesman, Nate Herring, told The Associated Press. The airstrike was carried out Friday in self-defense<\/a> after extremists were \u201cobserved maneuvering on a combined patrol,\u201d while the U.S. also responded with \u201cindirect fire,\u201d the spokesman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The confrontation occurred about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of the port city of Kismayo, the U.S. Africa Command statement said. Two other al-Shabab extremists were killed by Somali forces “with small arms fire during the engagement,” it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation was Somali-led, the AFRICOM spokesman said. There was no immediate comment from Somali authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t