U.S. military carries out 4th airstrike in Somalia under Biden

AFRICOM added that the operation was conducted by the US military in coordination with the Somali Government. The statement didn’t confirm any casualties on Al-Shabaab and the civilians.

News Keydmedia Online
24 February 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US military says it carried out an airstrike against Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab group on Tuesday, the fourth raid since Joe Biden took office as President in January last year.

The airstrike was in support of Somali government forces in the vicinity of Duduble area, in the central Somali region of Hiran, according to a statement released by the U.S. Africa Command [AFRICOM].

The US Africa Command conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabaab terrorists after they attacked partner forces in a remote location near Duduble, Somalia, February 22,” reads the statement in part.

AFRICOM added that the operation was conducted by the US military in coordination with the Somali Government. The statement didn’t confirm any casualties on Al-Shabaab and the civilians.

Somali state media earlier reported the strike was in the support of the U.S.-trained DANAB forces’ operation in the Hiran region, where 60 militants and a commander were killed and bases burnt down.

There was no word from Al-Shabaab on whether militants were injured or killed.

During Trump's administration, the U.S. military carried out the highest drone strikes in Somalia, starting from [11 in 2015], [64 in 2019], and [54 in 2020], according to an investigation by Keydmedia Online. Dozens of civilians were killed in the American operations in Somalia.

Tuesday’s US raid was the first in this year with three conducted in 2021, two airstrikes took place in July, and one in August in the Mudug region during military operations by the Somali army against Al-Shabaab.

Shortly before leaving the White House in January 2021, Trump ordered the withdrawal of some 700 special forces soldiers who were deployed in Somalia for counter-terrorism and train and advise DANAB.

KEYDMEDIA English