US Airstrike Kills Telecom Worker in Somalia
AFRICOM promises investigation, but insists there were no civilian casualties
Jason Ditz
A Monday US airstrike in Jilib was confirmed to have killed a civilian, according to the Somalia telecommunications company Hormuud, for whom the man worked.
The company identified the victim as Mohamud Haji Salad, a site manager for the company who was apparently the only victim of the Monday airstrike. AFRICOM confirmed the Jilib strike and claimed to be investigating who was killed.
Officially though, AFRICOM says their assessment is that they killed one person, and they were an “al-Shabaab suspect.” But for the company report to the contrary, suspicion would’ve been the beginning and end of the whole thing.
This has been a recurring problem with US airstrikes in Somalia, the victims are almost never identified beyond US suspicion, and with most towns outside Somali government control, there is little interest in keeping track of civilian deaths.
The company identified the victim as Mohamud Haji Salad, a site manager for the company who was apparently the only victim of the Monday airstrike. AFRICOM confirmed the Jilib strike and claimed to be investigating who was killed.
Officially though, AFRICOM says their assessment is that they killed one person, and they were an “al-Shabaab suspect.” But for the company report to the contrary, suspicion would’ve been the beginning and end of the whole thing.
This has been a recurring problem with US airstrikes in Somalia, the victims are almost never identified beyond US suspicion, and with most towns outside Somali government control, there is little interest in keeping track of civilian deaths.
posted by Satish Sharma at
06:47
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