The Somali federal government has provided further details on the casualties caused by heavy airstrikes targeting major Al-Shabaab positions in Jilib district in the Middle Juba region.
A government statement said the airstrikes were the largest ever carried out against the group in Jilib district, killing 20 Al-Shabaab leaders and 100 militia members.
“The total casualties suffered by the Khawarij militia in Jilib district are the deaths of 20 senior and middle-ranking Al-Shabaab leaders and 100 militia members, and it is the largest airstrike carried out in Jilib district in recent times,” the government statement said.
The airstrikes were said to have targeted the largest Al-Shabaab base in Jilib, where Al-Shabaab leaders were holding a meeting.
“The sites that were also bombed included a large facility that was a training center for militias and a place where they mislead children, and a place where Khawarij leaders responsible for mislead and abduct children were based was specifically targeted, resulting in significant losses including deaths and injuries to Khawarij leaders and militias,” the statement said.
Other sites that were heavily bombed include a facility called Karuur, where Al-Shabaab used to store fuel, weapons and other materials, which was completely destroyed in the airstrike targeting that facility.
However, the heavy shelling carried out in the town of Jilib in the Middle Juba region is already reported to have caused Al-Shabaab leaders to flee the city.
“Al-Shabaab leaders who were previously comfortably residing in the district of Jilib in the Middle Juba region have now begun to flee the city, fleeing for their lives to the countryside. The town of Jilib, which was the central command of the Khawarij, is now in ruins and has taken refuge in the countryside and farms out of fear,” the government statement said.
