Turkish F-16 fighter jets have carried out airstrikes outside Mogadishu as US-backed Somali federal government forces have been locked in a major battle with al-Shabaab over Basra, a village about 22 miles northwest of the Somali capital.
Turkish strikes targeted al-Shabaab, but Ankara and Mogadishu have yet to officially confirm them.
the strikes caused heavy casualties, including dead and wounded, but they did not provide a number.
The Somali Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces were “conducting a major operation against al-Shabaab militants on the outskirts of Basra” and claimed that Somali troops “neutralized a number of al-Shabaab militants, including two leaders” and seized weapons.
