US Africa Command Carries Out A Strike In Somalia
On Sunday, the US Africa Command said that the American armed forces carried out an airstrike against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group. In the statement, the Command revealed that the strike was conducted at the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and resulted in the death of the 13 terrorists of the group.
The attack took place in the vicinity of Sierra, Somalia which is approximately 45 kilometers northwest of the Somali city of Kismayo. The strike was launched on Sunday morning with the support from the Somali National Army forces which were already engaged in a conflict with the terrorist group.
“The collective self-defence airstrike was conducted in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, in support of Somali National Army forces who were engaged by the terrorist organization,” the US Africa Command wrote in a statement. “Working with the Somali National Army, US Africa Command’s initial assessment is that the airstrike killed 13 Al-Shabaab fighters and that no civilians were injured or killed,” the statement further reads.
Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based jihadist terrorist group that is linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group. In the past, the group has waged multiple armed resistance against the Somali government and obstructed several UN humanitarian missions in the country.
This was not the first time the command group conducted an airstrike against the terrorist group. In July this year, at least 5 terrorists were killed after the United States conducted a “collective self-defence airstrike” in Somalia. “The command will continue to assess the results of this operation and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operations security,” the command group asserted in the statement released on 27 August, a day after the airstrike.
The presence of Al-Shabaab in Somalia
The Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin—commonly known as Al-Shabaab, is the terrorist wing of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts. It is touted as the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world. According to the US Director of National Intelligence, the group garnered international attention after it almost took over most of southern Somalia in 2006. Despite the group’s defeat by Somali and Ethiopian forces in 2007, the insurgent group has continued with its violent insurgency in the southern and central parts of Somalia.
The terrorist group does not have a “centralised or monolithic agenda” and there has been constant infighting among its leadership. It was in 2012 that the group formally announced its merger with Al-Qaeda. According to the Director of National Intelligence, the merger was announced by Amir of Al-Shabaab and Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of Al-Qaeda.
US forces in Somalia
Meanwhile, the United States has an estimated 450 troops deployed in the East African nation. Most of these troops are stationed at the Baledogle Airfield which is just 56 miles away from the country’s capital Mogadishu. “Somalia remains key to the security environment in East Africa. US Africa Command’s forces train, advise, and equip partner forces to give them the tools that they need to degrade Al-Shabaab’s terrorist operations,” the statement read. “US Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote a more secure and stable Africa,” the body concluded.
Source » republicworld
