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.
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 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.
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