US Airstrikes Hit al-Shabaab Compounds in Somalia, Killing Three

While the US is in the process of withdrawing from Somalia, AFRICOM wanted to show signs that they remain committed to the conflict there, which they did in the form of airstrikes on New Year’s Day against compounds belonging to al-Shabaab.

AFRICOM claimed the strikes totally destroyed two compounds, killing three militants. They further claimed no civilian deaths in the attacks.

AFRICOM also said that the pullout from Somalia would only be a “re-positioning” in the area, and that airstrikes are still every bit as possible, even without troops on the ground picking targets.

It’s not clear how this is going to happen — if the troops are attacking sites based on the Somali government’s intelligence or what. The US clearly wants to keep attacking the area, and with no troops on the ground they’ll be less likely to get attacked themselves.