MOGADISHU [SMN] – The United States said its military in Africa conducted a new airstrike against al-Shabab in Somalia on Thursday, June 1, killing three militants.
In a statement, the U.S. military’s Africa Command [AFRICOM], said it conducted a “collective self-defense” strike against al-Shabab in the vicinity of Wayanta, Jubaland state.
The airstrike came following a request from the Somali government in support of Somali National Army [SNA] engagements against al-Shabaab in the area, AFRICOM said.
“Given the remote location of the operation, the initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed,” the statement said.
AFRICOM added that Somalia remains central to stability and security in all of East Africa.
U.S. forces train, advise, and assist 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.
It’s the second U.S. strike against al-Shabab in recent days. Last Month, the U.S. conducted another strike against al-Shabab in the town of Jilib, wounding a senior Al-Shabaab commander.
Jilib, which is the main Al-Shabaab command center in the southern Middle Jubba region lies about 370 km (230 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu on Saturday.
Despite the US airstrikes, al-Shabaab has been conducting raids and complex attacks against Somali military and ATMIS camps in the south ad central regions of Somalia.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who was re-elected by lawmakers in May 2022 in Mogadishu, has promised to fight Al-Shabaab seriously and defeat the group this year.
