'US airstrike deters Somali terror group's ability to attack'

Washington: Pentagon has said that the US air strike on a terrorist training camp in Somalia that killed 150 terrorists has degraded the Shabab militant group's ability to attack American and UN-mandated forces.

"On Saturday, March 5, the US military, in self-defence and in defence of our African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) partners, conducted an airstrike in Somalia against Raso Camp, a training facility of al-Shabaab, which is a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda," the Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook, said.?

"The strike was conducted using manned and unmanned aircraft.?The fighters who were scheduled to depart the camp posed an imminent threat to US and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces in Somalia," he said.

The removal of these fighters degrades al-Shabaab's ability to meet the group's objectives in Somalia, including recruiting new members, establishing bases, and planning attacks on US and AMISOM forces, Cook said.

According to the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, the fighters who were scheduled to depart the camp posed an imminent threat to US and African Union Mission forces in Somalia.

"The removal of those terrorist fighters degrades al Shabaab's ability to meet the group's objectives in Somalia, including recruiting new members, establishing bases, and planning attacks on US and AMISOM forces," he said.

"This is a good example of how the United States military can use our resources and capabilities in partnership with forces on the ground -- in this case, African Union forces -- to counter extremism and protect the United States and our interests.? And so this is exactly the kind of counterterrorism strategy that the President has laid out," he said.