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| US special forces kill 'high-profile target' during al-Shabaab gun battle | US special forces kill 'high-profile target' during al-Shabaab gun battle |
| (6 months later) | |
| A night-time raid by US special forces in Somalia led to a fierce gun battle with fighters from the al Qaida-linked Islamist group al-Shabaab, in which more than 10 insurgents were killed. | A night-time raid by US special forces in Somalia led to a fierce gun battle with fighters from the al Qaida-linked Islamist group al-Shabaab, in which more than 10 insurgents were killed. |
| A Somali intelligence official told the Associated Press that the casualties included a “high-profile target” who the raiders had hoped to capture. | A Somali intelligence official told the Associated Press that the casualties included a “high-profile target” who the raiders had hoped to capture. |
| “It was a high-profile target, and chances of capture were challenged by a stiff resistance by militants guarding the house targeted by the special forces, which forced the commando to resort to the kill or capture method,” the official said. He spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press on the matter. | “It was a high-profile target, and chances of capture were challenged by a stiff resistance by militants guarding the house targeted by the special forces, which forced the commando to resort to the kill or capture method,” the official said. He spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press on the matter. |
| Another Somali intelligence official provided a similar account to AP. The exact target of the raid, if any, remains unclear. | Another Somali intelligence official provided a similar account to AP. The exact target of the raid, if any, remains unclear. |
| US officials said American special operations forces partnered with Somali soldiers in the raid. | US officials said American special operations forces partnered with Somali soldiers in the raid. |
| The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an operation that has not been announced publicly, said Wednesday that more than 10 militants were killed. | The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an operation that has not been announced publicly, said Wednesday that more than 10 militants were killed. |
| Roughly 50 US special operations troops have been operating in Somalia on a rotational basis for the last few years. The raid came only three days after the US carried out an airstrike on an al-Shabaab training camp that the Pentagon said killed about 150 of its members. | Roughly 50 US special operations troops have been operating in Somalia on a rotational basis for the last few years. The raid came only three days after the US carried out an airstrike on an al-Shabaab training camp that the Pentagon said killed about 150 of its members. |
| These are some of the most aggressive military actions in Somalia since a US military intervention in the early 1990s during a famine culminated in the so-called Black Hawk Down battle, with heavy US losses. | These are some of the most aggressive military actions in Somalia since a US military intervention in the early 1990s during a famine culminated in the so-called Black Hawk Down battle, with heavy US losses. |
| For its part, al-Shabaab said its fighters had foiled the overnight attack on Awdhegle town in southern Somalia, and that the raiders retreated with casualties. | For its part, al-Shabaab said its fighters had foiled the overnight attack on Awdhegle town in southern Somalia, and that the raiders retreated with casualties. |
| Residents of Awdhegle described bullet-pockmarked walls blackened from explosions after the attack. | Residents of Awdhegle described bullet-pockmarked walls blackened from explosions after the attack. |
| Al-Shabaab fighters cordoned off the area in the morning and made arrests of people suspected to be spies, a resident in the town told the AP by phone. He refused to be identified, fearing reprisal by militants. | Al-Shabaab fighters cordoned off the area in the morning and made arrests of people suspected to be spies, a resident in the town told the AP by phone. He refused to be identified, fearing reprisal by militants. |
| Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab, a spokesman for al-Shabaab, told a militant-run online radio that the foreign forces used two helicopters and that one militant was killed. Mohamed Hassan, an elder in Awdhegle, told the AP that the foreign forces parked their helicopters outside the town and walked at least 3km (1.9 miles), sneaking into the town to avoid detection by the Islamic fighters and launch a surprise raid. | Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab, a spokesman for al-Shabaab, told a militant-run online radio that the foreign forces used two helicopters and that one militant was killed. Mohamed Hassan, an elder in Awdhegle, told the AP that the foreign forces parked their helicopters outside the town and walked at least 3km (1.9 miles), sneaking into the town to avoid detection by the Islamic fighters and launch a surprise raid. |
| He said there was gunfire between militants and al-Shabaab foot soldiers that started near the police station. | He said there was gunfire between militants and al-Shabaab foot soldiers that started near the police station. |
| Meanwhile, three police officers and one civilian were killed on Wednesday in a suicide car bombing outside a cafe near the police academy in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, said police general Ali Hersi Barre. | Meanwhile, three police officers and one civilian were killed on Wednesday in a suicide car bombing outside a cafe near the police academy in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, said police general Ali Hersi Barre. |
| There was no claim of responsibility for the blast, but it appeared to be part of attacks waged by al-Shabaab, which was ousted from Mogadishu by African Union peacekeepers in 2011. | There was no claim of responsibility for the blast, but it appeared to be part of attacks waged by al-Shabaab, which was ousted from Mogadishu by African Union peacekeepers in 2011. |