US Africa Command announced on Monday that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia on June 19, as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace as part of an air war that gets virtually no media coverage in the US.
As usual, the command offered no details about the strike other than saying it targeted al-Shabaab and was launched in the vicinity of the Sabiid, a village in southern Somalia. In April, the command stopped sharing details about casualties in its airstrikes and stopped offering an assessment on civilian harm.
“Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said.
The US-backed Somali National Army (SNA) said on Sunday that its forces captured Sabiid following a fierce battle with al-Shabaab. Somali media reported that local residents returned to the village after the government retook control.
Based on AFRICOM’s official count, the airstrike marked the 43rd time the US bombed Somalia this year. New America, a group that tracks the air war, said it has recorded a total of 44 airstrikes, which includes one that was reported or alleged but not declared by AFRICOM.
The US has also been launching airstrikes in northeastern Somalia’s Puntland region, where it is backing local forces against an ISIS affiliate. The US-backed Federal Government, based in Mogadishu, controls a relatively small area within Somalia’s internationally recognized borders.
With the frequent airstrikes, the US is on track to break its record for the number of times it bombed Somalia within a single year, which President Trump set at 63 in his first term in 2019.
