Lack of US airstrikes in Somalia rejuvenates Al-Shabaab militants

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Senior Somalia officials have raised concerns about the lack of US airstrikes in the Horn of Africa nation, arguing that the move is giving Al-Shabaab an opportunity to expand territories in the country at the expense of civilians, who are struggling with insecurity.

Ever since President Joe Biden took over on Jan 20, the US Africa Command is yet to carry out airstrikes against the Al-Qaida affiliates militants, or at least, the drone strikes areas not frequent as during the regime of Donald Trump.

Pentagon withdrew 700 US servicemen who have been serving in Somalia by the beginning of this year and the majority of them are now working in Djibouti and Kenya. This is a strategy devised by Trump as a way of cost-saving according to Pentagon reports.

But Somalia officials are concerned that should the allies fail to initiate airstrikes against Al-Shabaab, the country could lose the fight at the critical stage, further eroding gains made over years. The airstrikes give combat troops required reinforcement during operations.

“Lack of strikes mean al-Shabab leaders will come out of hiding,” a senior Somali military commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the issue publicly, told VOA’s Somali Service.

“They will bring their battlewagons out. They will mount big guns on top of vehicles again. They will start to gather in large numbers again,” he said. “It will be detrimental not only to the security of Somalia but to the region if al-Shabab were given the freedom to move around.”

Recent U.S. intelligence estimates indicate al-Shabab commands as many as 10,000 fighters across Somalia and parts of Kenya. And despite consistent counterterrorism pressure, officials concluded by the latter half of 2020 that the group was starting to show it was operating without fear.

“The terrorist threat in East Africa is not degraded,” the U.S. Department of Defense inspector general warned in a November report. “Al-Shabab retains freedom of movement in many parts of southern Somalia and has demonstrated an ability and intent to attack outside of the country, including targeting U.S. interests.”

Those trends are what have Somali officials feeling ever more uneasy, especially given developments on the ground.

“In the current political situation, where our security forces are diverted to electoral security and political tasks, this is again a boon to al-Shabab,” said Samira Gaid, who served as a senior security adviser to former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire.

“The airstrikes changed their tactics and operation and kept the pressure on them when Somali forces and AMISOM [the African Union Mission in Somalia] are not conducting regular operations,” she said.

Somalia is keen to have the partners conduct the airstrikes. This is manifested by the recent remarks by the SNA chief Yusuf Rageh Odowaa, who said it's practically impossible to smash Al-Shabaab without aerial assistance.

“These strikes are a key part in our fight against an enemy that has shown no hesitation in terrorizing innocent Somali citizens through repression, extortion, and murder,” Raage said.

On Monday, however, the SNA radio reported killing over 25 Al-Shabaab militants, injuring at least 15 between Bal'ad and Afgoye, with an aid of airstrike. It's not clear if the airstrike was unleashed by the US military or the African Union Mission Forces.

GAROWE ONLINE