The airstrike targeted al Shabaab fighters in the city of Galkayo, which is in the central part of the nation on Africa’s east coast, according to Reuters, citing a statement from the Pentagon.
It’s unclear if anyone was killed or hurt in the strike.
Al Shabaab is connected to Al Qaeda, the terrorist group founded by Osama bin Laden, and has long attempted to overthrow Somalia’s government and gain political power in the nation.
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The US frequently targets members of the organization in airstrikes, though Tuesday’s operation was the first one since Biden had been sworn into office in January.
Al Shabaab is accountable for a number of high-profile bombings and other attacks in Somalia — most recently carrying out a suicide bombing attack earlier this month that led to the death of nine people in the Mogadishu, the nation's capital.
In that bombing, an al Shabaab militant targeted police commissioner Farhan Mohamud by setting off an explosion after driving up next to a government convoy in a vehicle packed with bombs at a busy intersection.
Mohamud endured the blast, though nine other people were killed.
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A Somali police spokesman said the bomber drove up to the government convoy in a vehicle loaded with explosives at a busy intersection in Mogadishu.
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Witnesses reported seeing many dead bodies on the street and the area choked with heavy smoke.
Dr. Mohamed Nur, at the Medina hospital, told reporters that the toll reflected only the dead and injured who were taken to the facility in Mogadishu where he works.
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“I am sure the number is bigger as some of the victims were rushed to other hospitals, such as the privately-owned ones,” he said.
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“The commissioner is unharmed but there are other casualties the attack inflicted,” said Somali police spokesperson Sadiiq Dudishe.
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“It caused huge devastation and casualties of both police and civilians,” said Mire Adan, who was a few metres from the scene.
“The whole area is messed up with smoke as the blast caused fire and I saw several dead bodies, most of them civilians,” said another witness, Osman Adan.
It was the second such large explosion in the city this month. A blast targeting a teashop killed at least 10 people last week. Last month, a suicide bomb attack at a military base in Mogadishu killed at least 15 people.
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