US military drone strike kills four Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Four Al-Shabaab militants were killed on Monday at Janaale town, 100 kilometers Southwest of Mogadishu, US Africa Command said, in the latest onslaught against the Al-Qaida linked group.

It was the 21st airstrike targeting the militants in Somalia this year, the highest within a similar period in previous encounters, thus stressing the concerted effort to vanquish the militants.

During the raid in Lower Shebelle, the command's initial assessment concluded this airstrike killed four terrorists on spot, reports indicated.

Unlike in previous encounters where cases of civilian deaths were recorded, AFRICOM said: "We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this airstrike".

A similar airstrike which also left four militants dead had been conducted by the US military on Saturday at Gandarshe, adding to growing raids targeting the militants.

Brig. Gen. Miguel Castellanos, U.S. Africa Command deputy director of operations, said: “Pressure on al-Shabaab keeps them on their heels".

“It keeps them off balance and makes it more difficult for them to plan and operate," added the army general, who defended the airstrikes in Somalia.

The major milestone comes days after the US confirmed the death of Bashir Qorgab, the Al-Shabaab militant linked to the raid at Manda Airfield in Kenya, that left three Americans dead.

Most of the airstrikes target remote villages in southern and central Somalia, where the militants are said to have taken refuge after ceding control of Mogadishu to AMISOM and SNA forces in 2011.

But the militants have since started to move to urban centers due to increased airstrikes at their hideouts, a move that could also destabilize security in major towns, UN recently said.

There have been also concerns about their mafia-style taxation tactics, which have left businessmen scared and impoverished, given huge amounts collected to sustain their illegal activities.

However, AFRICOM insisted that "we remain committed to Somali-led progress on improving conditions for a well-trained SNA force that can assume and sustain security within the country".

Soldiers working for AMISOM are expected to completely withdraw from Somalia by 2021, ending their almost a decade peacekeeping mission. Already, about 1,000 of them will leave by the end of March.

Lower Shebelle has been a hotbed of terror in recent years. Last month, Al-Shabaab militants raided El-Salini military base within the region, killing over 20 SNA soldiers, officials said.

Besides the persistent airstrikes, the US Africa Command said: "with our international partners recognize that stability in Somalia will not be achieved through purely military means".

"The partner and allied forces we work with on a daily basis are trying to create security conditions to enhance governance and economic development."

Somalia is set to hold first universal suffrage polls in December, although the FGS is currently at loggerheads over the controversial electoral law, which could hamper execution in the process.

GAROWE ONLINE