Air strike in southern Somalia has killed two senior
commanders of militant Islamist group, al-Shabab,
residents have told the BBC.
The strike destroyed the vehicle the militants were
travelling in between the towns of Jilib and Barawe,
seen as a major base of al-Shabab, they said.
The US launched a failed raid in Barawe earlier this
month to capture an al-Shabab commander.
Al-Shabab is the main al-Qaeda-linked group in East
Africa.
A Kenyan military source told the BBC their troops had
raided Jilib, and there could be some casualties.
However, it is unlikely that they carried out the air
strike, correspondents say.
Jilib residents told the BBC that it was probably a drone
attack that killed the al-Shabab commanders.
At least 67 people were killed last month when al-
Shabab fighters seized the Westgate shopping centre in
Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
US commandos raided Barawe after the attack, but had
to retreat after meeting heavy resistance.
The US was believed to have sought to capture al-
Shabab commander Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir,
alias Ikrima.
Barawe residents say Ikrima is an al-Shabab leader with
responsibility for logistics, who is usually accompanied
by about 20 well-armed guards.
The US has carried out a series of air attacks in
Somalia.
In 2008, a US strike killed al-Shabab commander Aden
Hashi Ayro.
A year later, another strike killed Saleh Ali Saleh
Nabhan, who was accused of involvement in the 1998
bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi and the 2002
attacks on a hotel and airline in Mombasa.
The US has a large military base in Djibouti, which
borders Somalia.