Alwaght- US troops have shot dead 10 Somalis, including three children, in a village near the capital Mogadishu on Friday as Washington intensifies operations in the Horn of Africa state.
The attack, which took place in the early hours of Friday, targeted a farm on the outskirts of the town of Bariire in the southern Lower Shabelle region.
The involvement of US troops during the carnage was confirmed by US Africa Command, which said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties.
The Somali army initially claimed no civilians were killed and all the dead were members of the al-Shabaab terrorist group. It later issued a second statement saying some civilian casualties had been reported.
"We also understand that there are civilian casualties in which the Federal Government is investigating to find out the truth about this. We urge Somali people to cooperate fully with the Government on this matter," the Somali army said.
"These local farmers were attacked by foreign troops while looking after their crops," regional Deputy Governor Ali Nur Mohamed told reporters in the capital Mogadishu.
"The troops could have arrested them because they were unarmed, but instead shot them one by one mercilessly."
Three children, aged eight to 10, and a woman were among the dead, Mohamed said. Their blanket-wrapped bodies were laid out in a grassy courtyard for display.
Over the recent past there has been growing US incursions in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been torn apart by civil war since 1991. US forces have also carried out aerial attacks on the country using drones to ostensibly target terrorists but civilians, including women and children are the major casualties of the incursions. In May this year a US army trooper was killed and two injured during in an operation outside the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The civilian casualties come several months after US President Donald Trump approved to expand US involvement in military operations inside Somalia.
