The U.S. Africa Command says it killed 12 al-Shabaab fighters in an airstrike in a remote area of Somalia on Sunday.
According to a statement, the airstrike was at the request of the country’s government.
No civilians were killed or injured, given the remote location of the strike, about 472 kilometers northeast of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike Feb 10, 2023,” the statement read. “Rooting out extremism requires intervention beyond traditional military means.”
Since last year, the U.S. has supported the Somali government after President Joe Biden approved a Pentagon request to redeploy U.S. troops in the area to counter the al-Shabaab terrorist group.
Former President Trump withdrew American soldiers from Somalia because he said that the move had several negative ramifications for the economy of the world’s economic power.
“Somalia remains central to stability and security in all of East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces train, advise, and assist partner forces in helping give them the tools they need to defeat al-Shabaab, the largest and most deadly al-Qaeda network in the world,” the statement continued.
In recent months, the U.S. has conducted numerous regional strikes that have resulted in dozens of al-Shabaab casualties.
In January, carried out an airstrike in Somalia that killed roughly 30 al-Shabaab fighters; in October, another U.S. airstrike killed two members of the terrorist group. In December, a U.S. airstrike killed six al-Shabaab militants.