UAE drone strike hits Somalia militants, officials say

The United Arab Emirates carried out a drone strike against Al-Shabaab militants in northern Somalia, security officials told AFP, in the first reported Emirati attack there in almost a year.

Two local officials said the strike took place Tuesday in the Galgala mountain pass in Puntland. They said UAE drones launched from Bosaso airport targeted four Al-Shabaab militants who were planting roadside bombs, wounding two of them. Local paramilitaries then moved in and killed the two insurgents, the officials said.

The officials said UAE drones had conducted reconnaissance missions on Monday and Tuesday after an Al-Shabaab explosive device targeted the Puntland military.

Somalia has fought Al-Shabaab for two decades. The group has maintained a base in the Al-Madow mountains of Puntland for years, though its numbers there are far smaller than in south-central Somalia.

The federal government had not commented on the strike. The local officials said Puntland was expected to announce a fresh offensive against Al-Shabaab in the coming days.