The assault took place shortly before dawn on the coastal town of Barawe, 110 miles south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of al-Shabaab, is known to have stayed in Barawe in the past. The fishing town is in the heart of an area controlled by the al-Qaeda affiliate.
Al-Shabaab claimed that British and Turkish special forces carried out the raid and that one SAS officer was killed. However, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said that "no UK forces at all" were involved. Turkey's government made a similar denial.
France, which has carried out raids in Somalia in the past, also said that none of its soldiers was deployed.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman George Little said: "I decline comment." » | David Blair | Saturday, October 05, 2013
