Defense

Airstrike in Somalia kills two al-Shabaab members: Pentagon

by Ellen Mitchell - 10/25/22 1:08 PM ET

Armed al-Shabasb fighters ride on pickup trucks as they prepare to travel into the city, just outside the capital Mogadishu, in Somalia on Dec. 8, 2008. Somali authorities said Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 that Abdullahi Nadir, a top leader of the al-Shabasb extremist group who had a $3 million bounty on his head by the United States, was killed Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 in a joint operation by the Somali National Army and international partner forces. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)

The U.S. military over the weekend struck members of al-Shabaab in Somalia as the terrorist group was attacking Somali National Army forces, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

U.S. Africa Command said the strike occurred near Buulobarde, about 218 kilometers north-northwest of Mogadishu, on Oct. 23. The command initially assessed that it “killed two attacking al-Shabaab terrorists,” according to a statement.

The command said no civilians were injured or killed in the strike.

The U.S. operation is the latest in Somalia after a similar airstrike on Oct. 1, when American forces struck and killed top al-Shabaab leader Abdullahi Nadir.

And last month, Africom claimed it killed 27 al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali forces on Sept. 18.

About 500 U.S. service members are in Somali to help train, advise and equip partner forces following President Biden’s May announcement that the American troops would be redeployed to Somalia, an effort to counter the terrorist group.

Biden’s order reversed that of former President Trump, who decided to withdraw all U.S. forces from the country in 2020.

Tags Al-Shabaab Donald Trump Joe Biden Somali Civil War Somalia Somalia