U.S. service members walking to their post in Somalia Jan. 29, 2021. AFRICOM forces continue to train, advise and support Somali and other East African partners in their fight against violent extremism. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Hannah Strobel

US military killed 27 al Shabab terrorists and no civilians in Somali strike

Mike Brest September 21, 12:19 PMSeptember 21, 12:29 PM Video Embed

U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike in Somalia on Sunday that it said killed more than two dozen al Shabab terrorists who were attacking Somali forces without harming any civilians.

USAFRICOM’s public affairs office said the strike allowed “forces to regain the initiative and continue the operation to disrupt al-Shabaab in the Hiraan region of central Somalia,” though it did not provide any specific details about the people who were killed in the strike.

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In the statement, USAFRICOM called the strike “defensive” but also said it was “the largest combined [Somali and African Union Transition Mission in Somalia] offensive operation in five years.”

“The command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed 27 al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured. U.S. forces are authorized to conduct strikes in defense of designated partner forces,” the statement said.

USAFRICOM conducted three strikes in mid-August, killing four terrorists, it said at the time.

In May, President Joe Biden agreed to deploy roughly 500 troops to Somalia about 18 months after the previous administration withdrew them just days before the current administration commenced.

Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, the former commander of AFRICOM, testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee in mid-March, and he warned lawmakers that al Shabab “has only grown stronger and bolder over the past year.”

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“Deadly terrorism has metastasized to Africa. Al Qaeda’s al Shabab in East Africa and ISIS and al Qaeda groups in West Africa and elsewhere are among the world’s fastest-growing, wealthiest, and deadliest terrorist groups and remain grave and growing threats that aspire to kill Americans, both there and in our homeland,” he told the senators.

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