First AFRICOM airstrike of the year kills 30 al-Shabab militants
By Zamone Perez
Jan 23, 04:32 PM
A Somali soldier patrols next to the burnt-out wreckage of a car that was used by suspected al-Shabab fighters on April 16, 2017. (Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Africa Command conducted its first airstrike of the year in Somalia on Friday, after an uptick in the number of total airstrikes was recorded last year.
The Somali National Army was engaged in intense fighting against al-Shabab militants more than 160 miles northeast of the capital city of Mogadishu on Jan. 20, according to a statement from AFRICOM. Between ground forces and the U.S. strike, an estimated 30 al-Shabab fighters were killed and three vehicles destroyed.
“Somalia remains central to stability and security in all of East Africa,” a statement from AFRICOM said. “U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to help give them the tools they need to defeat al-Shabaab, the largest and most deadly al-Qaeda network in the world.”
According to the statement, more than 100 al-Shabab fighters were a part of the attack on the Somali National Army.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2023/01/23/first-africom-airstrike-of-the-year-kills-30-al-shabab-militants/
