It was the third US strike on Shabaab Islamist militants since President
Donald Trump authorised the Pentagon in March to take counter-terrorism
actions -whether airstrikes or ground raids — when it deems them
necessary to support the Somali government. FILE PHOTO | FEISAL OMAR
The US military conducted an airstrike against a group of
Shabaab militants in Somalia early Wednesday, officials said, the third
such action in a month.
The military's Africa Command said the strike occurred at about 1:30 am local time some 480 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.
"Working
from actionable intelligence, the Department of Defense conducted a
successful collective self-defence strike operation against an
Al-Shabaab troop concentration," Africom said in a statement.
It
was the third US strike on Shabaab Islamist militants since President
Donald Trump authorised the Pentagon in March to take counter-terrorism
actions -whether airstrikes or ground raids — when it deems them
necessary to support the Somali government.
Self-defense
Wednesday's strike follows a July 2 attack on Shabaab militants and a June 11 raid of a training centre.
It
was within the Pentagon's "parameters of authority to engage in
collective self-defence of our Somali partners," Pentagon spokesman Navy
Captain Jeff Davis said.
Before
Trump broadened the Pentagon's authorities, US military actions in the
eastern African country each required high-level review by different
agencies.
US special forces have been deployed in Somalia for years. There are currently about 50 US troops there.
Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda linked group, has been fighting since 2007 to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia.
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