Special forces stage helicopter raid on Somalia's Shabaab

Mogadishu – Special forces operatives in two helicopters staged an overnight raid on Somalia’s Shabaab insurgents, government officials and the al-Qaeda-linked gunmen said on Wednesday.
The raid, reportedly by foreign troops, targeted the Shabaab-controlled town of Awdhegele, some 50km west of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
“There was an operation by Special Forces late last night around Awdhegele town. We have reports Shabaab militants suffered casualties,” local district commissioner Mohamed Aweys told reporters.
There were no details on who carried out the attack, which came after US air strikes on a Shebab training camp on Saturday which killed more than 150 fighters.
While the US military regularly conducts operations targeting al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Somalia, on Saturday’s raid had a higher toll than all previous US strikes combined.
Warplanes and unmanned drones were used in Saturday’s strike, which struck an area 195km north of Mogadishu.
The Shabaab group confirmed the overnight raid, saying they had fought off the troops.