US military carries out a collective self-defense airstrike in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US army has yet again fired at the Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, as the team works closely with local troops to secure strategic areas within the country, just as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) continues with withdrawal.

In a statement, the US Africa Command confirmed an airstrike against Al-Shabaab on March 10, 2024, terming it a 'collective self-defense airstrike' following a request by the government of Somalia. This year, the US military has waged at least seven airstrikes against Al-Shabaab.

The collective self-defense airstrike occurred in a remote area in the vicinity of Ugunji approximately 71 km southwest of Mogadishu, the US Africa Command said. This was the first drone strike around Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

A post-assessment report indicates that three Al-Shabaab militants were killed in the outing. There were no civilian casualties after a deep assessment, the Command added. The command does due diligence before waging airstrikes.

"Al-Shabaab has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threatened U.S. security interests. U.S. Africa Command, alongside its partners, continues to take action to prevent this malicious terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks in the region, which disproportionately harms civilians," the U.S. Army noted.

"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," the statement further read.

The US Africa Command offers aerial surveillance to local troops in operations against Al-Shabaab. The al-Shabaab group has been fighting for the last 18 years but attempts to take over the government have been futile due to strong resistance from security teams.

GAROWE ONLINE