Why Somalia wants more US drone strikes against Al-Shabaab

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The federal republic of Somalia has asked the United States army to heighten strikes against Al-Shabaab, in what it argues will help the government effectively defeat the militants, who control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia.

With the Joe Biden administration yet to make a decision, the government of Somalia has been working closely with local militia, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and the US Africa Command in the latest offensive against Al-Shabaab militants.

Early this year, President Joe Biden redeployed about 500 elite US Africa Command soldiers to Somalia following increased Al-Shabaab attacks. The soldiers had been temporarily withdrawn by former President Donald Trump, who claimed the money was meant to reduce expenditure.

But the Somali government wants U.S. military operators to be able to attack groups of Shabab militants who might pose a threat to Somali forces — even if they are not firing upon them at the moment, the officials said. Such a move would further escalate American involvement in the long-running counterterrorism war, The New York Times reports.

After taking over Villa Somalia in May, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has focused his energies on the fight against Al-Shabaab, noting that every citizen has a responsibility to defend the nation. The efforts have partly yielded results according to analysts.

Some U.S. officials are hoping that the long-troubled country may be turning a corner. Others are more skeptical that Mr. Mohamud will be able to sustain the current “honeymoon” period, as one official described it, given Somalia’s history of dysfunction, the limited capacity of its central government, the extraordinary complexities of its clan dynamics, and a drought-driven famine.

In a statement, Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, emphasized that the United States was trying to bolster stability in Somalia and counter Al Shabab not just through military force but by building the Somali government’s capacity and addressing humanitarian needs.

“As a part of this holistic approach, the U.S. military works to train and support Somali partners who are catalyzing offensive action against Al Shabab, while judiciously applying high-end capacity only to disrupt the most serious threats,” she said.

The drone strikes significantly reduced when Joe Biden took over but in recent weeks, the US army has been helping the country counter the militants through drone strikes. In the process, top Al-Shabaab commanders have been killed according to the command.

The United States is one of several countries advising and assisting the Somali government in its fight against Al Shabab. Members of the African Union have about 18,000 peacekeeping forces in Somalia. Turkey, the European Union, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt are also involved.

Biden administration officials have justified the continued U.S. role in fighting Al Shabab by describing the group as the deadliest and wealthiest of Al Qaeda’s global branches. Intelligence officials estimate that Al Shabab has roughly 7,000 to 12,000 members and annual income — including from taxing or extorting civilians — of about $120 million, NYT adds.

But in interviews, a range of senior military, diplomatic and national security officials described the moment as one of cautious optimism for weakening Al Shabab. Tricia Bacon, a Somalia specialist at American University in Washington and a former counterterrorism analyst for the State Department, echoed those views.

“The drone strikes undoubtedly add pressure and, besides local community revolts, are one of the few things Al Shabab fears,” she said. But she added, “This may be yet another instance of Al Shabab being pushed out of places, only for the government to fail to perform in those places or local community forces becoming predatory.”

GAROWE ONLINE