US launches airstrike to assist Somali forces under attack
By Zamone Perez
Oct 25, 01:43 PM
The U.S. conducted an airstrike in Somalia on Sunday against al-Shabab, killing two, U.S. Africa Command said Tuesday.
According to a statement by AFRICOM, al-Shabab insurgents were attacking Somali National Army forces near Buulobarde, more than 124 miles north of the country’s capital of Mogadishu. This appears to be the 10th strike by U.S. forces in Somalia in 2022, according to a Long War Journal tracker. That’s compared to 11 such strikes in 2021 and 44 in 2020.
“Al-Shabaab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests,” AFRICOM officials said in a statement. “U.S. Africa Command, alongside its partners, continues to take action to prevent this malicious terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks on civilians.”
The strike on Sunday killed two al-Shabaab fighters, while no civilians were injured or killed, according to AFRICOM. The command has in the past been accused by groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of killing civilians in strikes, despite the command claiming otherwise.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2022/10/25/us-launches-airstrike-to-assist-somali-forces-under-attack/