Kenya airstrikes kill dozen in Somalia

Kenyan jets have bombed Somalia's southern region, killing at least one dozen civilians, while injuring many more, Press TV reports. The attacks took place in the southern Somali region of lower Juba, in two locations in Gilib, 98 kilometers (61 miles) south of Kismayo. Three children were among those killed on Sunday, while more than fifty people were also reportedly injured. According to locals, the attacks targeted a camp for displaced people, while other reports indicate that two al-Shabab training camps were targeted. However, no reports on al-Shabab fighter casualties have been made. In mid-October, Kenya dispatched soldiers over its border into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab fighters. There are mounting indications that the United States and France are aiding the Kenyan operation. This, in pursuit of what Kenya calls Somali militants blamed for a series of kidnappings on Kenyan soil. Nairobi also blames the militants for frequent assaults on its security forces in a border province. Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed has said his transitional government is opposed to Kenya's military incursion into Somalia. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.