US airstrike leaves 15 Al-Shabaab militants dead in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US military has confirmed the death of 15 Al-Shabaab militants in the latest airstrike against the militants, just weeks after the federal government of Somalia asked Washington to scale up drone strikes in the country by targeting even those plotting attacks.

In a statement, the US Africa Command confirmed that it killed the militants in Cadale, Somalia, on Nov. 3, 2022. The airstrike came just a week after the militants attacked downtown Mogadishu, killing over 100 people while injuring close to 350 according to government statistics.

The airstrike was necessitated by Al-Shabaab's decision to attack the Somali National Army within the vicinity of the town. The militants have been on a revenge mission after the Somali National Army with assistance from allies heightened a crackdown against the militants.

The airstrike, the US noted, did not kill or injure any civilian. Before such airstrikes, the militants do due diligence according to the rules and regulations laid down by the Department of Defense, which strictly calls for the protection of civilians from such crackdowns.

"U.S. 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 command said in a statement that was published on Saturday.

"Al-Shabaab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack partner and U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests," added the statement.

Further, the army said that Somalia remains key to the security environment in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to give them the tools that they need to degrade al-Shabaab.

U.S. Africa Command, it added, "will continue to assess the results of the 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".

Since the activation of the crackdown against Al-Shabaab, the US Africa Command has been working closely with local forces and militia to degrade the militants. Over 400 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in the last two months according to official records by the government of Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE