AFRICOM Confirms Most Recent Anti-Terror Strike In Somalia

On Friday, April 6th, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that its most recent airstrike in Somalia killed three members of al-Shabaab, according to the New York Times. The strike took place roughly 230 miles southwest of the capital Mogadishu, near the small town of Jilib, which is generally considered to be part of the terrorist group’s support zone in the country.

The strike, which was carried out late Thursday afternoon, was the most recent of eleven US airstrikes in Somalia this year, all of which have targeted al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab, “the Youth,” began operating in Somalia in 2006, following the splintering of the Islamic Court Union after its defeat, which itself resulted from the 15 years of conflict and upheaval that plagued the country after the 1991 ouster of the Barré government and the resulting civil war. In 2012, the group pledged their allegiance to the internationally known terrorist organization al-Qaeda.

Conflict in Somalia is clearly not new, nor are the operations the US has carried out in the country; however, these operations increased following the founding of al-Shabaab and their alliance with al-Qaeda. Between 2007 and the beginning of April 2018, the US carried out 82 confirmed airstrikes (this number includes drone strikes) in Somalia, according to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Although total deaths from these strikes are not exactly known, official estimates range from 512 to 662, with possible civilian deaths involved totaling between 5 and 29 people. Other sources, however, argue that official civilian death counts underestimate the true civilian casualty rate from these strikes.

The number of US airstrikes has surged in the last several years: in 2016, a total of 14 airstrikes were confirmed. In 2017, this number leapt to 35, with 11 strikes confirmed in 2018 so far. This increased number of strikes is part of the current US administration’s strategic outlook, which has relaxed guidelines related to civilian protection and increased the use of force against Islamic militant groups in the Middle East and Africa, including al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab itself has also ramped up its attacks; last October, Somalia suffered its most severe attack when the terror organization set off a truck bomb in the capital that killed at least 300 and wounded hundreds more, and just a week ago members of al-Shabaab killed 46 Ugandan peacekeepers 80 miles outside of Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab’s deadly presence and US attempts to undermine the group contribute to what is already a fraught environment. With the country undergoing one of the worst droughts and humanitarian crises in decades and a government that, though improving, is still unstable, the Somali people are beset by challenge even without the added conflict of an ongoing internal insurgency. Only time will tell if the increased number of US strikes work to quell or inflame al-Shabaab’s actions in the country.

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