You may not have caught it amidst other international developments, but the United States bombed Somalia last Friday. No, that isn’t a misprint.
On June 3, the Somali government announced that the US had conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab militants west of the southern port city of Kismayo, killing approximately five fighters. The Pentagon has yet to release any information about the strike, a concerning (but not surprising) display of nonchalance.
The latest strike came as President Biden reversed his predecessor’s decision to withdraw all US troops from Somalia. Approximately 500 Americans will now return to train Somali counterterrorism forces and aid Mogadishu in its counterinsurgency campaign against al-Shabaab, a terrorist organisation that controls swaths of the East African country and has penetrated deep into the Somali capital. Somalia’s newly elected president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is understandably thrilled about American special operators and trainers re-locating from next-door Kenya.
Both moves suggest the White House intends to escalate the forever war on terror
Both moves suggest the White House intends to escalate the forever war on terror.
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