Mogadishu-KNN-The U.S. military said it launched retaliatory airstrikes targeting al-Shabab militants following the group’s brazen attack on a U.S. commando outpost.
The U.S. assessed it killed 10 fighters and destroyed a vehicle after launching two airstrikes and engaging militants with small arms fire, according to a news release.
Somali-based insurgents launched attacks on Western targets across Somalia targeting a commando outpost believed to house U.S. forces, military officials said.
A suicide car bomber targeted Italian peacekeepers in Mogadishu in a separate attack. The explosion missed the convoy but wounded nearby Somali civilians.
The Somali military says it repelled the al-Shabab attack on the Baledogle airbase, which was hit by two suicide bombings and heavy gunfire.
No U.S. or partner forces were injured during the attack on the Baledogle airfield, according to a news release.
“This attack, though ineffective, demonstrates the direct threat al-Shabaab poses to Americans, our allies, and interests in the region,” Maj. Gen. William Gayler, U.S. Africa Command director of operations, said in the news release.
“Incidents like this will not compromise the pressure being placed on this terrorist network by the Federal Government of Somalia and international partners,” Gayler said.
The Baledogle outpost is located in the Lower Shabelle — a region rife with Islamic militants and Shabab fighters. The base is believed to house U.S. special operations forces, a Somali commando force and a small airstrip for launching drone attacks.
Shabab claimed the responsibility for the attack against the airfield.
The U.S. has roughly 650 to 800 Defense Department personnel in Somalia, according to Lt. Cmdr. Desiree Frame, a spokeswoman for AFRICOM. That figure includes military and civilian workers.
A recent UN report said that the security situation in Somalia remains “volatile,” and noted an increase in improvised explosive attacks in July.
Airstrikes against Somali militants are up slightly compared to 2018. AFRICOM carried out 52 airstrikes in 2019 against against al-Shabab and ISIS-Somalia militants — 47 strikes were conducted in 2018, Frame said.
Those airstrikes are causing Shabab militants to alter their tactics. The UN report said Shabab fighters have increased operations in urban areas to mitigate U.S. airstrikes.
“U.S. forces, in cooperation with the government of Somalia, are conducting ongoing counter-terrorism operations to degrade the terrorist groups’ capabilities to recruit, train, and plot terror attacks in Somalia and the region,” Frame said.
Officials with AFRICOM estimate there are 5,000 to 7,000 Shabab militants and 100 to 300 ISIS-Somalia fighters in the country.
“Additionally, Al-Shabaab controls roughly 20 percent of Somalia, primarily in southern Somalia where they have maintained a historical presence,” Frame said.
Officials with AFRICOM would not confirm the presence of the Somali and American commandos at the Baledogle base, citing operational security.
Military Times
