A car bombing attack by al-Shabaab hit troops outside of a military base in southern Somalia’s Jubbaland, killing three Somali special forces and wounding an American officer. Al-Shabaab took credit but claimed 20 killed.
Somali forces have been active in the area recently, with US military support and growing numbers of US airstrikes. Somali officials say they tried to stop the suicide car bomb but were unable to. It hit the outskirts of the base near Kismayo.
US African Command didn’t identify the wounded soldier or say what he was doing, but described him as being in “stable condition.” They added the forces were conducting “advise, assist, and accompany missions” at the time.
Shabaab’s higher reported death counts are not unusual in tit-for-tat strikes, and indeed Somalia’s government routinely offers much higher death tolls than were likely. The group further claimed to have destroyed three US armored vehicles in mortar strikes. Though the US confirmed mortar strikes, it is unclear if vehicles were hit.
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