The United States Africa Command reports that on Sunday, in an unspecified location in Somalia, an airstrike killed 12 members of al-Shabaab.
The bombardment was at the request of the administration of the nation that was hit.
The strike took place in a remote area, around 472 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia, therefore no civilians were injured.
According to the statement, on February 10, 2023, U.S. Africa Command launched a collective self-defense attack at the request of the Federal Government of Somalia in support of Somali National Army battles against al-Shabaab. The use of force alone will not be sufficient to end extremism.
President Joe Biden granted the Pentagon’s request to deploy American soldiers to Somalia last year to combat the al-Shabaab terrorist group, and ever since then, the United States has been assisting the Somali government.
American forces were withdrawn from Somalia after former president Trump warned of dire implications for the global economic giant.
Somalia is crucial to the peace and safety of the whole East African region. U.S. African Command troops “train, advise, and support partner forces to allow them to equip themselves to attack al-Shabaab, the largest and deadliest al-Qaeda network,” according to the statement.
Recent U.S. regional operations have resulted in the deaths of dozens of al-Shabaab fighters.
Two members of the al-Shabaab terrorist group have been killed by U.S. airstrikes in Somalia since October, and another 30 were killed in January. In a December U.S. strike, six al-Shabaab fighters were eliminated.