Mulindwa was arrested while trying to travel to Somalia to join up with Al Shabab. AP
Mulindwa was arrested while trying to travel to Somalia to join up with Al Shabab. AP
Mulindwa was arrested while trying to travel to Somalia to join up with Al Shabab. AP
Mulindwa was arrested while trying to travel to Somalia to join up with Al Shabab. AP

US admits to killing two civilians in 2019 Somalia air strike


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The US on Monday acknowledged that it had killed two civilians and injured three in an air strike in Somalia in early 2019.

It was a rare admission of civilian casualties from US Africa Command military operations in the country.

The air strike was carried out near Kunyo Barrow in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region and the report said the intended target, two members of Somali extremist group Al Shabab, were also killed.

"Regrettably two civilians were killed and three others injured in a February 2019 air strike," Africom's commander, Gen Stephen Townsend, said in a report on Monday.

"We have the highest respect for our Somali friends and we are deeply sorry this occurred."

The report was released in response to claims that Africom is too secretive about its actions and accusations from rights groups that it did not fully account for civilians deaths.

The report said the civilian deaths were a result of US or Al Shabab weapons exploding in the air strike.

Amnesty Intentional said that a banana farmer and a telecoms worker were the civilians killed.

It was the second time Africom has acknowledged killing civilians in Somalia.

The first was an air strike in April 2018 in El Buur in the Galgaduud region of central Somalia, in which Africom reported that it had unintentionally killed two civilians.

The US has been conducting air strikes in Somalia for years to help defeat Al Shabab.

The extremists are seeking to topple Somalia's western-backed central government and set up its own authoritarian rule.

For nearly two decades, Al Shabab has been bombing and shooting military and civilian targets, including hotels and traffic junctions in Somalia and neighbouring countries including Kenya.

A regional peacekeeping force, Amisom, mandated by the African Union, also helps to defend the Somalian government.

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE

There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.

It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.

What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.

When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.

It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.

This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.

It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.

The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
​​​​​​​Scribe