US Africa Command has announced that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia on March 11 as the Trump administration continues its bombing campaign in the country amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. The attack marks at least the 44th US airstrike in Somalia this year.
AFRICOM said the strike targeted al-Shabaab in the vicinity of Xawaadleey, a town about 37 miles north of Mogadishu. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said without offering any other details about the attack.
The US-backed Somali Defense Ministry said that it captured the town of Xawaadleey from al-Shabaab militants on the same day the US launched the strike. “The Somali National Armed Forces have successfully liberated the area of Xawaadleey in the Middle Shabelle region, which had previously been used as a hideout by Al-Shabaab terrorist militants,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that its forces are “currently working to secure the area, while operations continue to pursue the remaining militants and conduct clearance activities in the newly liberated locations.”
On Sunday, the Somali Defense Ministry announced more military operations against al-Shabaab in the village of Busley Daud to the south of Mogadishu, suggesting the US could have launched another airstrike. It said the operation in Busley Daud “neutralized” nine al-Shabaab fighters.
The US has also been launching airstrikes in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region, where it’s backing local forces against an ISIS affiliate. The last known US strike in that area was launched on March 8.
There’s a chance that Somali territory may be used as a launchpad for attacks as part of the US-Israel war with Iran, as media reports say Israel may establish a base in Somaliland to launch operations against the Houthis in Yemen. Israel recently became the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, a move that the US-backed Somali government based in Mogadishu strongly opposes.
