US air strike in Somalia slams into rural village

US air strikes in Somalia killed two civilians and injured three in February, human rights watchdog Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday.

US Africa Command said it was assessing the allegations and goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties.

US forces have been fighting a decade-long struggle against the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al Shabaab. The insurgency wants to overthrow Somalia's shaky, internationally backed government and rule using its own strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Africa Command says air strikes are a key weapon against Al Shabaab, but Amnesty says they also mistakenly target civilians.

A US air strike in the town of Jilib on February 2 hit a family having a meal, Amnesty said, killing 18-year-old Nurto Kusow Omar Abukar, injuring her two younger sisters - aged 7 and 12 - and her 70-year-old grandmother. Amnesty cited an interview with the girls' father, who was present but uninjured in the strike.

Another strike on February 24 on the village of Kumbareere, about 10 kilometers north of Jilib, killed Mohamud Salad Mohamud, a 53-year-old father of eight who ran a banana farm and the local office for telecom company Hormuud, Amnesty said. Hormuud confirmed his death.

Africa Command - also known as AFRICOM - issued statements after both strikes saying it had killed militants.

Amnesty researcher Hassan said AFRICOM should be more transparent about how it investigates allegations of civilian deaths.

Reuters