The Somali government rejects accusations by Amnesty International of killing civilians

The Somali government rejects accusations by Amnesty International of killing civilians

 On Wednesday, the Somali government rejected what was contained in an Amnesty International report that accused it of killing more than twenty civilians in a raid launched by Turkish drones in the Lower Shabelle region.

Deputy Minister of Information, Abdul Rahman Al-Adala, stated that the government does not have any information about civilian casualties in its military operations against Al-Shabaab throughout the country.

He said, “Military operations are continuing throughout the country. What we can confirm is that there were no civilian casualties in any operation carried out by the army, and that the army maintains a high level of vigilance.”

Amnesty International had indicated that 23 civilians, including children and women, were killed in drone strikes last March in the Lower Shabelle region, and added that it had evidence to prove this. The organization said that the attacks did not differentiate between military targets and the city, which made the government Somalia rejects the organization's accusation and denies any civilian casualties during the military operations it launches against Al-Shabaab with the support of some international partners.