U.S. kills 150 Somali fighters in preemptive airstrike
The United States targeted an Islamist militant training camp in Somalia on Saturday, killing 150 members of Al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab, the Pentagon reports. U.S. officials say the militants were planning attacks on American troops and allies in the region. American warplanes bombed the camp during what appeared to be a graduation ceremony.
"They were standing outdoors in formation," one official told The New York Times. Al-Shabab has killed dozens in East Africa in recent months, and the group is responsible for the 2013 Westgate mall attack in Kenya that killed 63. Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said that the airstrike is expected to "degrade al-Shabab's ability" to continue such attacks.
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