Highlights
- AFRICOM conducts airstrike on al Shabaab compound
- Airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Jilib the al Shabaab headquarters
- The US has conducted at least 10 precision airstrikes against al Shabaab in the south and central Somalia in 2020
- Airstrike locations include; Jilib, Jamaame, Bacaw, Qunyo Burrow, Bangeeni and Beer Xaani
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced precision airstrike against al Shabaab combatants in the vicinity of Jilib in Somalia which is the group’s headquarters. This recent airstrike destroyed an al Shabaab compound in the area believed to be part of the logistical infrastructure of the group.
AFRICOM has stepped up its airstrikes in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in 2020 as means to counter this al-Qaeda-aligned group’s ability and intent to plan and carry out attacks in Somalia and her neighbors.
Cumulatively, the precision attacks have killed at least 15 al Shabaab terrorists and destroyed 4 al Shabaab facilities and or compounds in various locations in Somalia. The attacks have been conducted in locations such as Jilib, Jamaame, Bacaw, Qunyo Burrow, Bangeeni and Beer Xaani these are hotbeds for al Shabaab presence and activities.
The continued efforts to degrade and dismantle the networks and infrastructure used by al Shabaab has been majorly motivated by the increased attacks on high-security targets and especially the Manda Bay military base attack in Lamu, Kenya.
Security analysts have cooed the need for increased precision strikes to exert pressure on the group which is seemingly marred by leadership and ideology wrangles especially within the leadership ranks.
