The US has drastically increased the number of attacks against the al Shabaab militants allied to both ISIS and Al Qaeda in Somalia in the past month. The increased strikes come after approval by President Trump to increase the strikes against insurgents across the world.
In a five-day stretch beginning Nov. 9, American drones and warplanes carried out six strikes against Shabab fighters outside Mogadishu, the Somali capital, and one strike against Islamic State combatants (one-quarter of the 28 attacks) in the country this year. Last year, the military’s Africa Command said it conducted a total of 15 strikes in Somalia.
The strikes by armed American drones, which Pentagon officials said killed more than 40 fighters, came a month after a double truck bombing in Mogadishu left more than 380 people dead, and more than 300 others injured.
The increased presence of US forces in the Horn of Africa Country has doubled in the past year to close to 500 with the majority being Special Forces dispatched to train and advise the SNA and other counterterrorism forces. The troops have developed a wide network of informants who aid in successful precision attacks that lead to the recovery of valuable intel that is used to further diminish the strength of al Shabaab militants in Somalia and the entire region.
The increased strikes by the US Forces have been viewed as a welcome help by the SNA and allied forces seeing as it offers support in eradication the network and the threat of resurgence when the AMISOM troops withdraw.
