AFGOYE, Somalia – At least 21 civilians, among them women and children were killed on Monday night by an airstrike on their village outside Afgoye district, 30 km northwest of Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
The people who were targeted in the drone strike were people from the same family who had nothing to do with the Al-Shabaab, according to their relatives speaking to the media.
Early in the day, the Somali intelligence agency said in a statement that at least 30 Al-Shabaab fighters had been killed in a joint operation at the target area in Baqdada village.
The relatives of the victims demanded justice from the government of Somalia and the United States, saying that their people were subjected to genocide.
They said they were targeted while sleeping in their shelters after being displaced from their territory due to conflict and drought in the Lower Shabelle region, south of Somalia.
Until now, the government of Somalia has not issued a statement responding to the accusation. Meanwhile, the US remains silent on the matter in the time of the publication.
