White House: Christmas Airstrikes Kill 62 ISIS Militants

The White House has confirmed that multiple air strikes have killed at least 62 members of ISIS over the weekend.  

According to reports, four airstrikes on Saturday killed 34 militants from the Islamist al-Shabab terror organization and another two airstrikes on Sunday killed an additional 28.

“Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al-Shabab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia,” the US Africa Command said.

The strikes were launched from an American Air Force base near Djibouti.

“The strike has neutralized an imminent attack,” said one Somali government official.

BBC News reports: Somalia-based security think tank the Hiraal Institute said in a report published in November that al-Shabab had been forced to change tactics following the upsurge in air strikes.

The institute said the group was now conducting fewer mass attacks on military bases, but attacks on government offices and businesses which refused to pay it taxes had increased markedly.

The US state department, in its most recent report on terrorism, described Somalia as a “terrorist safe haven” and said al-Shabab remained a threat, despite suffering setbacks.

The group retained control over large parts of the country, and the ability to carry out high-profile attacks using suicide bombers, explosive devices, mortars and small arms, the report added.