20120826
Press TV
Dozens of people have been killed in an attack carried out by a US assassination drone in southern Somalia, Press TV reports.

The attack, which took place in the strategically important port city of Kismayo on Friday, claimed over 37 lives and injured dozens.

Further details regarding the incident have not yet been released.

The US military uses remote-controlled drones in Somalia for reconnaissance operations and targeted killings.


Washington has been carrying out assassination attacks using the unmanned aircraft in other countries including Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, and Yemen.

The United States claims the CIA-run strikes are aimed at militants. But witness reports and figures offered by local authorities indicate the attacks have led to massive civilian deaths.

The UN has condemned the US assassination drone strikes, saying they pose a challenge to international law.

The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years, and is propped up by a strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.

Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia remains among the ones generating the highest number of refugees and internally-displaced persons in the world.