US military, aid group at odds over Somalia civilian deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) — An international human rights group says it has credible evidence that U.S. military airstrikes in Somalia killed or wounded nearly two dozen civilians, and charged that the Pentagon is not adequately investigating potential casualties.

U.S. Africa Command officials immediately disputed the allegations laid out in a report by Amnesty International. They insisted that the military has investigated 18 cases of possible civilian casualties since 2017 and found that none were credible.

The seemingly contradictory information underscores the complexities of military operations against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group in Somalia, involving airstrikes by several allied nations in hostile, remote locations that are difficult to access safely.

The report came on a day when a Somali intelligence official and two local residents said a U.S. drone strike on Monday had killed civilians.