By David Ochieng Mbewa
Saturday January 16, 2021
A picture showing US army drones at a military base. (Photo by AYMAN HENNA/AFP via Getty Images)
One Al-Shabaab militant was killed and a compound belonging to the jihadist group was destroyed in an airstrike by the U.S. military.
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strike was conducted on Wednesday in the vicinity of Buulo Fulaay in southern Somalia.
AFRICOM added that a preliminary assessment of the operation showed that no civilians were injured or killed.A commander of the Joint Task Force – Quartz operations said the operation showed the U.S. and its partners planned to leave no safe place for the jihadist group to hide.
“This strike in Buulo Fulaay combined with recent strikes, shows our resolve and degrades al-Shabaab’s ability to threaten Somalia and its neighbors,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Dagvin Anderson said.
At least eight militants, including targeted leaders of the group, have been killed and at least six militant compounds destroyed in airstrikes by the U.S. in the Horn of Africa nation so far this year.
Al-Shabaab has waged a war against the Somali central government for several years in an attempt to impose strict Islamic law in the Horn of Africa nation.
However, efforts by the U.S. military and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have thwarted the ambitions of the group to topple the government and seen Somali security forces regain control of some areas of the country.