Kismayo, Somalia – The militant group Al-Shabaab launched a mortar attack late Thursday on a military installation near the Kismayo airport used by US forces, in what the group claims was retaliation for Israeli army genocide in Gaza.
The attack, which occurred under the cover of darkness, was aimed at a recently established base utilized by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Somali forces. While explosions were heard across the area, AFRICOM confirmed that there were no casualties or material damage as a result of the assault.
“The base came under direct fire,” AFRICOM said in a social media statement. “No injuries to US personnel or damage to equipment have been reported.”
Despite AFRICOM’s assessment, images shared by intelligence sources suggested that the airport runway sustained some damage, raising questions about the extent of the impact.
Al-Shabaab, a Somali-based insurgent group with ties to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the strike. In a statement, the group described the operation as a response to “the ongoing massacre in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip.”
The timing of the attack appears deliberate. Just days earlier, the new commander of AFRICOM arrived in Mogadishu and held high-level talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The two discussed accelerating joint operations against Al-Shabaab, which continues to pose a threat across large parts of southern and central Somalia.
