US forces acting in self defense called in an airstrike on al Shabaab militants in the southern Somalia province of Lower Juba, killing an estimated 18 Islamist extremists, US Africa Command said. Meanwhile, a person died and another was injured in two car bombs that exploded in the heart of the Somali capital on Saturday and the Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks. Al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in Mogadishu and other parts of the Horn of Africa country. Al Shabaab told Reuters they had planted the car bombs and that they were targeting a police official but that he had escaped. Al Shabaab is fighting to topple Somalia's Western-backed central government and establish its own rule based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Source: The Star September 23, 2018 12:56 UTC