US military admits killing innocent civilians in Somalia during anti-Al-Shabaab raid

MOGADISHU, Somalia - For the first time in as many months, the US military admitted killing civilians in its operations against Al-Shabaab, despite having rejected such claims in the past, although Amnesty International still maintains that "the figure is higher than what they told us".

In a Civilian Casualties assessment report released on Monday, Gen. Stephen Townsend, who is the commander AFRICOM, admitted that two civilians were killed on Feb. 23 within Kunyo Barrow town in Lower Shebelle.

The strike, he added, also injured three civilians. But the drone raid had initially targeted Al-Shabaab militants within the town, leaving two dead on the spot, said Townsend while acknowledging the civilian collateral.

“While we follow very precise and rigorous standards, in instances where we fail to meet our expectations, we will admit the mistake,” said Townsend.

“Regrettably two civilians were killed and three others injured in a February 2019 airstrike. We have the highest respect for our Somali friends and we are deeply sorry this occurred.”

The admission takes the total number of civilians killed in the airstrikes to four, although Amnesty International had released a counter-report where it placed the figure at 21 in as many years.

Seif Magango, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Eastern Africa, hailed the US team for acknowledging collateral damage in the operations but asked it to "reassess and take other blames".

Further, he added, the US should consider contacting the affected families and offer much-needed repatriation for the families to carry on with their lives. No help has been given so far.

“This first regular public report acknowledging AFRICOM’s role in civilian casualties is a welcome glimmer of transparency in more than a decade of deadly military operations that until now have been shrouded in secrecy," he said.

"Now there must be accountability and reparation for the victims and their families – the US military has still neither contacted nor offered reparation to the families of any of the civilians it has admitted to the killing."

For the last decade, the US has been actively involved in the fight against Al-Shabaab. Besides giving critical air surveillance, the US Africa Command is also responsible for the training of elite Danab forces.

So far, the command has conducted 39 airstrikes since January, leaving over 60 militants dead according to the data obtained from its regular press releases. This is the highest ever within the same duration in previous years.

“The growing threat in Africa from terrorist networks is significant and impacts not only Africans but also the U.S. and our international allies,” said Townsend.

“Our kinetic operations in Africa follow a strict, disciplined, and precise process. Nobody is more devoted to the preservation of innocent lives than the U.S. military, and our actions and processes reflect that fact.”

Al-Shabaab has over 7,000 active fighters in Somalia but the recent airstrikes and financial constraints have led to defections. Also, the groups are believed to be undergoing internal squabbles.

It's leader, Ahmed Omar Diriye and the head of finances, Mahad Karate, have been embroiled in unending tussles over the control. Intelligence reports indicate that the group is now dependent on collections in northeastern Kenya, which are obtained through extortion web.

GAROWE ONLINE