10 civilians, including kids, dead in US-backed Somalia raid
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Ten civilians, including three children, were killed in a raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm in southern Somalia, a deputy governor said Friday, as the U.S. military confirmed it supported a counter-terror operation in the area and said it would look into the allegations.
The deaths raise questions about growing U.S. military involvement in the Horn of Africa nation after President Donald Trump approved expanded operations against the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab, often in support of Somali forces.
The farmers were killed “one by one” after soldiers stormed into Barire village early Friday, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, Ali Nur Mohamed, told reporters in the capital, Mogadishu, as victims’ bloodied bodies were on display.
Somalia’s information ministry at first said al-Shabab extremists were killed but later noted “civilian casualties,” adding that it appeared more than one security operation had taken place.