Eight Al-Shabaab fighters killed in southern Somalia

Al-Shabaab militants continued to suffer setbacks in southern Somalia, a region in which they have been dominant, following the latest drone strikes which left eight of them dead.

The US military launched three airstrikes on Sunday at Mubarak, where the militants were confirmed dead. The federal government of Somalia participated in the raids, AFRICOM said.

According to the US Africa Command team, no civilian was injured or killed during the three operations. The assessment comes amid mounting claims by Amnesty International that most of the previous victims were innocent farmers.

The US has now waged 36 airstrikes in Somalia since January, the highest ever compared to other parts of the world where it's engaged in active war especially in the Middle East.

Until now, the airstrikes have claimed 45 lives of the Al-Shabaab militants, given the additional eight killed last week at Bush Madina, another Al-Shabaab hotbed in Somalia, officials said.

Brig. Gen. Miguel Castellanos, deputy director of operations, U.S. Africa Command, hailed the drone strikes, insisting that they are part of the US' comprehensive strategy to build a strong army in Africa.

"Security is a pre-requisite for economic growth and development; U.S. Africa Command assists Somalia and other African nations in building capable and professional militaries every single day," he noted.

"To help Africa achieve its potential requires military assistance and that is what the U.S. affords our African partners."

The drone strikes, he added, helps to disrupt the activities of the militants especially during this time when the world is tackling COVID-19. At least seven people have tested positive for the virus in Somalia.

Although the UN asked all armed militants and militia to declare a ceasefire for the sake of fighting the pandemic, Al-Shabaab is yet to heed to the calls, but recently asked members to be careful with the "diseases".

“As the world works to contain COVID-19, it is important our partners recognize we continue to be committed to the security progress in Somalia and will continue to disrupt al-Shabaab's terrorist activities," said Castellanos. "This is a responsibility that AFRICOM takes very seriously."

Currently, the US has a total of 500 officers in Somalia. Besides giving aerial surveillance for the ground troops, the US is responsible for training and equipping of the Danaab elite forces in the Horn of Africa nation.

The Somali National Army [SNA] is expected to assume all security responsibilities in 2021 when the AU Forces formally withdraw after a decade of peacekeeping in the country.

So far, the troops have managed to liberate a number of strategic towns where Al-Shabaab was active. The FGS has since established civilian leadership in those towns, with Janaale being the latest to be taken over by government forces.

GAROWE ONLINE