Ten al-Shabab Militants Killed in U.S. Airstrike in Somalia

The United States conducted an airstrike in southern Somalia, killing ten al-Shabab militants, according to the U.S. military on Tuesday.

Al-Shabab, a group linked to al-Qaeda, has been waging a bloody insurgency against Somalia’s fragile federal government for more than 17 years.

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) reported that the strike occurred on December 31 in Beer Khani, about 35 kilometers from the city of Kismayo.

The airstrike was carried out “at the request” of the Somali government, according to AFRICOM. An initial assessment indicated that the strike killed ten al-Shabab militants with no civilian casualties.

The strike follows a recent attack by ISIS in northern Somalia, which government forces repelled.

AFRICOM confirmed that it will continue “evaluating the results of this airstrike and will provide additional information as appropriate.”

Al-Shabab carried out several attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other parts of the country last year, even as the government presses forward with its campaign to eliminate the group.

The U.S. has heavily invested over decades in the fight against the Somali militant group. During his first term, President-elect Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia, a decision later reversed by current President Joe Biden.

Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world, plagued by decades of civil wars, recurring natural disasters, and terrorism-related violence.

On Tuesday, a local TV station and a military official reported that Somali security forces repelled a suicide attack by ISIS militants on a military base in Puntland.

Captain Yusuf Mohamed from Puntland’s Counterterrorism Forces told Reuters that the vice president of the regional parliament was visiting the base during the attack near the town of Darjalle in Bari region. He added that nine suicide attackers were killed, and several soldiers were injured.