US kills 150 militants in Somalia airstrike

Mogadishu, March 8: The US carried out an airstrike in Somalia killing over 150 militants associated with the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab, the media reported on Tuesday.

Both Somalia and US officials said the militants, who were preparing for a major attack in the region, were targeted at a training camp about 200 kms away from the capital city of Mogadishu.

"We got the information that over 100 militants, including top leaders were killed and many others were wounded. They were planning to carry out a massive terror activity in the region," Abdiaziz Durow, a local official, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

His remarks came after the Pentagon Spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said on Monday that both manned and unmanned aircrafts were used in the strike.

Davis said top Pentagon officials had been monitoring the camp for several weeks before the strike, and gathered intelligence about an imminent threat posed by them.

IANS