The U.S. Africa command says it is assessing reports that 10 civilians were killed in an operation against Islamists in Somalia.
The agency on Friday said that U.S. forces had been working “in a supporting role” with the Somali army near the capital Mogadishu when ten people were killed.
PRESS STATEMENT: Civilian casualty allegations in Somalia – https://t.co/Hm8Bifm8Hu pic.twitter.com/1yCH0uSsVe
— US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) August 25, 2017
“We take any allegations of civilian casualties seriously, and per standard, we are conducting an assessment into the situation to determine the facts on the ground,” it added in a statement.
Local officials said ten civilians were shot dead in Friday’s attack at a farm on the outskirts of the town of Bariire in the southern Lower Shabelle region. Three children were among those killed.
Initially the Somali army denied that civilians had been among the dead, insisting they were members of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militia that seeks to impose strict Islamic law on the east African country. It later admitted that civilian casualties had been reported.
A Somali commander said Al Shabaab militants started shooting at its forces when soldiers entered the farm, insisting that their targets were not farmers.
African Union forces and soldiers recaptured Bariire, 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, from the Islamist group just six days ago.
An offensive by AMISOM forces against the militants has succeeded in pushing Al-Shabaab out of most of their territory, though the militants still manage to conduct raids and stage attacks even in the capital.
America’s military presence in Somalia was bolstered in March by US President Donald Trump’s order, granting new powers to intervene against the militants in the Horn of Africa.
