US Africa Command (AFRICOM) on Monday said it conducted an airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabaab in support of the Mogadishu-based government on January 25.
AFRICOM said the strike was launched at the request of the government, which has been engaged in heavy fighting against al-Shabaab on the ground after launching an offensive a few months ago.
The command said the strike “consisted of two separate engagements” outside of Xaradheere, Somalia, a town near the coast about 246 miles northeast of Mogadishu. AFRICOM said it was launched while US-backed government fighters were engaged with al-Shabaab.
AFRICOM claimed its “initial assessment” found four al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the strike. It also claimed its assessment found there were no civilian casualties due to the “remote location of the operation,” but the Pentagon is notorious for undercounting or lying about civilian casualties, especially in Somalia.
The incident marks the third known US airstrike in Somalia in the month of January as the US continues to escalate its war against al-Shabaab. The Pentagon also announced in January that it conducted a raid that killed an ISIS leader in Somalia, along with 10 of his “associates.”
Due to the lack of media coverage, there is no accountability for the Pentagon’s operations in Somalia. The US-backed government also has strict rules for media, and Somali journalists say the government recently enacted a new rule that requires them to submit content for approval.
How much did the deaths of these four non-threats to the US cost the US taxpayers? It’s embarrassing to think Washington is so afraid guys with light weapons and no possibility of attacking the US that we have to spend thousands- if not millions- of dollars to bag less than a handful of these wretches.