The militant faction al-Shabaab, which is in control of the area, says the drones hit on the outskirts of the town and killed at least nine civilians, including women and children. 30 others were reported wounded in the strikes.

Separate attacks were reported even further south, with Kenyan helicopter gunships targeting the Elwak region near the border. Al-Shabaab insists that the Kenyan attacks were nowhere near any of their positions.

The US began launching drone strikes against targets within Somalia in late June, the latest in a growing number of nations which now have constant US UAVs flying overhead, launching attacks with no real oversight against whoever they believe needs killing at any given time.