US Africa Command has announced that its forces launched airstrikes against al-Shabaab during fighting in southern Somalia on Friday, the same day the African Union’s (AU) mission in the country, AUSSOM, reported a major battle.
AFRICOM offered no details about the strikes other than saying they were launched in support of the US-backed government in the vicinity of Bariire, a town about 30 miles west of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab claimed that it killed 20 Ugandan members of the AU force and that it destroyed several armored vehicles.
AUSSOM issued a statement on the battle denying that it took heavy casualties and lost armored vehicles. The AU mission said that it “strongly refutes media reports alleging heavy casualties among its soldiers in Bariire town.”
“AUSSOM wishes to clarify that its forces, in coordination with the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF), initiated a major offensive to recapture Bariire town on 1st August,” AUSSOM said. The mission also claimed that 50 al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the battle.
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) issued a statement on the battle, which also claimed 50 al-Shabaab fighters were killed. “The offensive remains active, with UPDF and SNAF troops continuing operations to dislodge remaining fighters and secure full control of the area,” the UPDF said on Saturday.
The US-backed Somali government has launched a new offensive against al-Shabaab, but has still continued to lose territory to the group. AFP reported last month that government forces “melted” in the face of al-Shabaab’s offensives and the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has become increasingly unpopular and controls little territory inside the internationally recognized borders of Somalia.
Despite the failures, the US has doubled down on propping up the Mogadishu-based government and continues to support it with airstrikes. The US has also been bombing the small ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region, where the US is backing local forces.
It’s unclear how many airstrikes the US launched against al-Shabaab on Friday, but counting the bombing as two brings the total number of US airstrikes in Somalia this year to 55. The Trump administration is bombing Somalia at a record pace and is well on its way to breaking the annual record of 63 airstrikes, which President Trump set during his first term in 2019.
