US military drone crashes Al-Shabaab-controlled area in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A drone operated by the United States military crashed in southern Somalia earlier this week, the US Africa Command confirmed, ending speculations about the ownership of the technology, which is critical in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

Before the admission, there was speculation that a Turkish drone crashed in Al-Shabaab-controlled Farsoley town, Lower Shabelle, southern Somalia, residents said. Farsoley is approximately 130 km southwest of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Although it is not clear whether it's the same drone in question, the US Africa Command, in a statement released on Friday, said investigations are ongoing to establish whether it was brought down by the Al-Shabaab militants, who control large swathes of rural central and southern regions.

“A U.S. Army operated MQ-1C crashed in southern Somalia at approximately 12:40 PM local on Nov. 5,” AFRICOM said in a statement without indicating the exact location where the incident was recorded.

“An investigation is ongoing, although the crash does not appear to be the result of any attempt to shoot down the aircraft," the statement further read, adding that more information will be released as it becomes available.

There has not been any particular evidence that Al-Shabaab has the capability of bringing down aircraft despite the group being resilient in toppling the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia. The group has, however, lost several strategic towns.

An operation initiated by the Somali National Army with assistance from the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), regional forces, and local militia, has successfully kept the group away from strategic regions and supply routes.

The US Africa Command provides critical surveillance to combat troops besides training and equipping the Somali National Army. Currently, there are nearly 700 US Africa Command soldiers in Somalia, most returning in 2022 after a brief withdrawal.

Donald Trump, the US President-Elect, sanctioned their repositioning moments before he lost the 2020 polls, but Joe Biden later reversed the decision. With Trump back in the White House, it is not clear if he will continue with the withdrawal of soldiers from foreign lands as part of cost-cutting measures.

GAROWE ONLINE