The US military bombed vessels off the coast of Somalia last week using expanded authorities granted to it by President Trump, The War Zone has reported.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release that it struck a “flagless vessel and a smaller supporting vessel” in Somalia’s territorial waters on April 16 over allegations that the boats were smuggling weapons to al-Shabaab. The strike was first reported by the US-backed Somali government.
A Pentagon official claimed to The War Zone that the US bombed the vessels because there wasn’t time to intercept and board them. The US military carried out the airstrikes thanks to President Trump easing restrictions on airstrikes and raids outside of areas the US officially considers “combat zones,” which applies to Somalia and all other countries outside of Iraq and Syria.
Under previous rules under the Biden administration, US military commanders could only carry out airstrikes against high-level militants or if they claimed the strikes were launched in “self-defense.” Other airstrikes or ground raids needed White House approval, and Trump’s new rules allow US commanders to launch more attacks without getting permission.
The self-defense claim acted as a major loophole under the Biden administration since the US frequently framed airstrikes in Somalia as conducted in “self-defense” of US-backed forces, but the Pentagon says US military commanders now have much more freedom of action and have increased strikes in Somalia.
“Commanders have been given more delegated authorities than under the previous administration, to act and a wider range of targets,” a second Pentagon official told The War Zone. “So far this year, we conducted 20 airstrikes against both ISIS Somalia and al-Shabaab. We did 10 all of last year.”
The expanded authorities make the risk of civilian casualties much more likely since targets have less vetting. The Somali Information Ministry said everybody aboard the two vessels bombed by the US was “neutralized,” and it’s unclear what evidence the US has to back up its claim that the boats were smuggling weapons.
