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| US drone 'kills 150 Somali militants' | US drone 'kills 150 Somali militants' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A US drone strike has killed more than 150 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, the Pentagon says. | A US drone strike has killed more than 150 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, the Pentagon says. |
| Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the strike hit a training camp where a "large-scale" attack was being planned. | Spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the strike hit a training camp where a "large-scale" attack was being planned. |
| "We know they were going to be departing the camp and they posed an imminent threat to US and [African Union] forces," Captain Davis said. | "We know they were going to be departing the camp and they posed an imminent threat to US and [African Union] forces," Captain Davis said. |
| "Initial assessments are that more than 150 terrorist fighters were eliminated," he added. | "Initial assessments are that more than 150 terrorist fighters were eliminated," he added. |
| Mr Davis said the strike, on Saturday, targeted a camp about 120 miles (195km) north of the capital, Mogadishu. | Mr Davis said the strike, on Saturday, targeted a camp about 120 miles (195km) north of the capital, Mogadishu. |
| The camp had been under surveillance for some time, according to Mr Davis. | |
| "There was a sense that the operational phase was about to happen," he said. | "There was a sense that the operational phase was about to happen," he said. |
| He said the group had neared the completion of specialist training to conduct "offensive operations", but did not give any details about the alleged plans. | |
| Al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011 but has continued to launch frequent attacks in its bid to overthrow the Western-backed government. | Al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011 but has continued to launch frequent attacks in its bid to overthrow the Western-backed government. |
| New questions for African force in Somalia | |
| Who are al-Shabab? | |
| The group has said it carried out a string of recent attacks including a twin bombing at a busy restaurant in the Somali city of Baidoa last month. | |
| Also on Monday, the Australian navy said it had seized a huge cache of weapons on a fishing boat off the coast of Oman that was apparently heading for Somalia. | |
| Grenade launchers, machine guns, and 2,000 assault rifles were concealed under fishing nets, a Navy spokesman said. | |
| Major al-Shabab attacks in 2016 | |
| 28 February - on a restaurant and busy junction in Baidoa killing at least 30 people | |
| 26 February - on Mogadishu's SYL hotel killing nine people | |
| 21 January - on a restaurant at Mogadishu's Lido beach killing 20 people | |
| 15 January - on a Kenyan base in el-Ade that Somalia's president said killed at least 180 soldiers |