US military releases quarterly civilian casualties report in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US military has released quarterly civilian casualties report in Somalia, the fourth since the team started releasing such information to the members of the public, following incidents of airstrikes targeting innocent civilians in the country.

As a way of promoting accountability and transparency, the command started issuing such reports in April 2020. In the latest report for the year ending 2020, the command closed two of three active, which had been under investigation for a couple of months now.

During the quarter, the command said, it completed two assessments of reports of civilian casualties, which were reported as open in the last report. One assessment into reports of civilian casualties remains open and under review from the reporting period that ended on Dec. 31.

But after the closeout of the report, the command has since received two reports of civilian casualties in the country, allegedly resulting from two airstrikes conducted on Jan.1, 2021, and Jan. 19, 2021, respectively. The two new reports are currently being assessed and will be addressed in a future quarterly report, the command noted.

The two cases have been listed as open as well. In January, the command completed a presidential directive to reposition U.S. forces from Somalia to other areas within East Africa.

“U.S. Africa Command remains committed to continuing security cooperation with Somali and AMISOM partners as well as joint efforts to counter the al-Qaeda aligned terrorist group al-Shabaab,” said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command.

U.S. Africa Command conducts airstrikes and engagements with Somali forces to maintain pressure on al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization that remains a threat to Somalia, East Africa, and U.S. interests and security.

Despite the withdrawal of the troops in the war-torn nation, the command has been executing air raids against the Al-Shabaab group in the country. The US withdrew close to 700 troops who have since been redeployed elsewhere in East Africa.

“Even as we maintain pressure on al-Shabaab’s terrorist network, we continue to minimize risk to civilians during our operations,” said Townsend. “Transparency, abiding by the rule of law, and promoting security and stability is foundational to how we operate. Applying continued pressure on al-Shabaab is important for the security of Somalia, East Africa, and America.”

According to Somali Chief of Defense Forces Brigadier Gen. Odawa Yusuf Raage, U.S. airstrikes have been critical in helping his country disrupt, degrade, and isolate the al-Shabaab terror group.

“The Somali National Army fully supports U.S. Africa Command’s efforts to degrade al-Shabaab through kinetic airstrikes,” Raage said during a recent meeting with U.S. officials. “These strikes are a key part of our fight against an enemy that has shown no hesitation in terrorizing innocent Somali citizens through repression, extortion, and murder. U.S. Africa Command airstrikes and assistance help make Somalia safer and more secure.”

GAROWE ONLINE