Acting on the request of Somali government, the U.S. military, on Sunday declared that it believed it had killed 13 Al Shabaab militants in southern Somalia following a raid.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Al Shabaab, a group with ties to al Qaeda, has been driven out of some areas of the country’s core thanks to a campaign started by the Somali government and its allies a year ago. Despite this, the group still carries out significant attacks.
In response to a request from the government, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) claimed to have carried out an airstrike on al Shabaab on Saturday at Seiera, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Kismayo.
‘The collective self-defense airstrike was conducted in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, in support of Somali National Army forces who were engaged by’ al Shabaab, AFRICOM said in a statement.
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‘Working with the Somali National Army, U.S. Africa Command’s initial assessment is that the airstrike killed 13 al Shabaab fighters and that no civilians were injured or killed,’ it added.
Somalia’s army and allied fighters on Friday captured the town of El Buur, al Shabaab militia’s main stronghold in the country’s central region, a significant breakthrough in the campaign.
However, many military analysts and those involved in the campaign have said that government vows to eliminate the group are unrealistic.
This is coming barely days after the African Union force confirmed that members of the insurgent group, Al-Shabaab attacked its military base in Somalia.
For over 15 years, the terrorist group has been waging a deadly jihadist insurgency against the central government in the fragile Horn of Africa nation.
Africa Today News, New York recall, the army and militias known as ‘macawisley’ have retaken swathes of territory in the centre of the troubled country in an operation backed by ATMIS and US airstrikes.