US Airstrike Hits Somalia, Targeting al-Shabaab

Pentagon officials have confirmed today that they carried out an airstrike yesterday morning inside the country of Somalia, and that they were trying to target the al-Shabaab insurgency, saying they were after “specific militant targets.”

What they actually hit, however, isn’t at all clear, with no word yet out of Somalia on the results of the strike, and the Pentagon insisting that they are still “assessing the results,” and holding out the idea they might provide information in the future “as appropriate.”

In practice, however, the Pentagon has recently been very tight-lipped about the results of airstrikes, especially those strikes that didn’t go according to plan, meaning that “al-Shabaab was targeted” may well be the last we ever hear about the incident.

The Trump Administration has given the Pentagon increased autonomy to carry out operations in several places around the world, including in Somalia, and this is the second such strike in a little over a month. The previous strike was said to kill eight militants. As far as this strike, it’s anyone’s guess.