US airstrike wipes out 13 al-Shabab terrorists in Somalia just days after bombing four jihadists who have been targeting Somali forces, local army officials say
- The strike took place in the Hiiran region of central Somalia on Sunday and was first reported by state national television, according to Bloomberg
- This is the second strike against al-Shabab this week, as US Africa Command confirmed it had killed four members of the terror group on August 9
- No American military or civilian official has yet confirmed the Sunday strike in Somalia
- US forces have been active in the region under President Joe Biden after former President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal
Local Somali officials confirmed on Sunday that an airstrike by US forces killed 13 members of the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabab in the country.
The strike took place in the Hiiran region of central Somalia on Sunday and was first reported by state national television, according to Bloomberg.
This is the second strike against al-Shabab militants this week, as US Africa Command confirmed they killed four members of the terror group on August 9.
No American military or civilian official has yet confirmed the Sunday strike in Somalia.
US forces have been active in the region under President Joe Biden after former President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal.
Local Somali officials confirmed Sunday that an airstrike by American forces killed 13 members of the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabab (pictured) in the country
The strike took place in the Hiiran region of central Somalia on Sunday and was first reported by state national television, according to Bloomberg
This is the second strike against al-Shabab militants this week, as US Africa Command confirmed they killed four members of the terror group on August 9
This is also happening amid further changes for the American military in the region.
Marine General Michael Langley took over as the top US commander for Africa on Tuesday, directing US military operations on a continent with some of the most active and dangerous insurgents and a relatively small Pentagon presence.
Langley, who made history on Saturday when he became the first African American in the Marine Corps to be promoted to four-star general, assumed US Africa command in a ceremony at Kelley Kaserne in Stuttgart, Germany.
He is the second African American to lead the command, which has 6,000 to 7,000 troops across the continent.
Speaking at the ceremony, the outgoing commander, Army General Stephen Townsend, noted the often limited troops and resources allocated to the continent.
Somalia’s newly appointed Minister of Religion Muktar Robow Abu-Mansur, the former al-Shabab commander
Marine General Michael Langley took over as the top US commander for Africa on Tuesday, directing US military operations on a continent with some of the most active and dangerous insurgents and a relatively small Pentagon presence
“Every day there is a new challenge and we don’t have the resources to face those challenges. So we have to think,” said Townsend, who is retiring after 40 years in the military.
“America cannot afford to ignore Africa. The continent is full of potential, but also full of challenges and is at a historic crossroads.”
For years, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, unrest in the Middle East, a greater focus on an increasingly militant and competitive China, and the recent war in Ukraine have dominated the Pentagon’s attention.
But insurgent groups, including al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants, thrive in ungoverned areas of Africa, and al-Shabab remains a significant threat in Somalia.
On Tuesday, Austin took note of that decision, saying that the continued presence of the US military to train and support Somali forces is vital as al-Shabab’s attacks on civilians grow deadlier and brazen.