At least two senior commanders from the Islamist militant group al-Shabab have been killed in a drone strike in south-west Somalia, residents say. Several loud blasts were heard in the town of Bardere at dawn and the bodies were found later, they said.
There has been no official confirmation from the al-Qaeda-linked group, but a source told a BBC reporter that those killed were al-Shabab commanders. Bardere is one of the few towns still controlled by al-Shabab.
African Union and Somali government troops are reported to be advancing on the area in Gedo region. The US has killed several senior members of al-Shabab in drone strikes in the past.
The BBC’s Moalimu Mohamed in the capital, Mogadishu, says the telecommunications network to Bardere has been cut off since the attack, but residents in the village nearest the town have been contactable. They said that after the blasts, well-armed al-Shabab fighters rushed to the scene where the dead men were found.
