The United States has carried out the “largest-ever” aircraft carrier strike on the territory of Somalia. The total weight of the dropped munitions was 56.7 tons, said the chief of staff of the U.S. Navy, Admiral James Kilby, whose words are quoted by Business Insider.
The U.S. has been conducting airstrikes in Somalia since February against Islamic State (IS, ISIS) facilities and positions of the Somalia-based radical Islamist group al-Shabab, which has close ties to the international terrorist organization al-Qaeda.
“The largest air strike in history was carried out – 125,000 pounds (56.7 tons) – from one aircraft carrier (USS Harry S. Truman) on the territory of Somalia,” the military publication quotes the words of the military.
As the newspaper notes, citing a Pentagon official, the strike was carried out on February 1 from the aircraft carrier Harry Truman, which is in the Red Sea.
US President Donald Trump said on February 1 that he had ordered airstrikes on terrorist sites in Somalia, and also indicated that civilians were not harmed as a result of the attacks. According to Somali media, at least 48 IS terrorists were killed in the February 1 airstrikes.