US army airstrike targets Al-Shabaab in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US Africa Command launched again another airstrike on Sunday targeting Al-Shabaab militants, AFRICOM said in a statement, confirming the incident at Darussalam in the southern part of the country, which has been repeatedly exposed to terrorist attacks in the past decade.

Monday's airstrike was the 45th this year alone, a move that emphasizes Washington's commitment in the fight against Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda linked group which has been terrorizing civilians since 2008 when it first launched a serious attack inside Somalia.

Initial assessments indicate that the airstrike killed six terrorists and wounded three terrorists, the US Africa Command said in a statement, adding that no civilian was injured or killed as a result of the airstrike. Previously, such operations have raised serious security concerns on civilians.

"Al-Shabaab is a dangerous enemy," said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, deputy director for operations, U.S. Africa Command. "It is a danger to Africa and the United States. “We will continue to place pressure on the network and impact their ability to plan and execute these acts."

Al-Shabaab leadership, the command said, has expressed its primary desire is to conduct attacks not just in East Africa, but against Americans and U.S. interests across the globe. International efforts and the persistent pressure placed on al-Shabaab helps contain the group's broader ambitions and desire to conduct attacks beyond Somali borders.

According to security officers, when this airstrike occurred, U.S. forces were in the vicinity in order to advise and assist Somali partner forces. The Danab forces have been taking part in the operations as part of the strategy to measure their abilities in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

But through proxy media outlets, the Al-Shabaab insisted that during the encounter, it managed to wound a US Serviceman besides killing at least seven Somali National Army [SNA] officers from the elite Danab troops. According to the media reports, the soldiers allegedly died from simultaneous IED blasts.

Darussalam is located at least 43 miles southwest of Mogadishu, the Somali capital which has also been struggling with insecurity incidents in recent weeks. But contrary to their tradition, the militants did not publish photos of the alleged dead soldiers or parade them in the town.

And in the statement, the US Africa Command denied reports by Al-Shabaab that SNA troops were killed or injured during the operation, arguing that "Al-Shabaab falsely claimed U.S. casualties. No U.S. forces were injured or killed during the attack".

"Al-Shabaab routinely resorts to the tradecraft of terror, crime, and propaganda to intimidate and seek control of the local populace," said Col. Chris Karns, director of public affairs, U.S. Africa Command. "Persistent pressure against the al-Shabaab damages their narrative, network, and plans for broader destruction and violence."

As part of an international effort, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. interagency partners continue to help support Somali-led efforts to counter and contain dangerous terrorist organizations from exporting violence more broadly, the command added.

US Navy Seal, Kyle Milliken, 38, was killed in the area in May 2017 in combat with Al-Shabaab. He was the first American soldier to be killed in Somalia since the "Blackhawk Down" mission in 1993, and since then, the command has been launching sophisticated attacks with an aim of degrading the militants.

GAROWE ONLINE