{"id":52049,"date":"2019-12-30T17:44:37","date_gmt":"2019-12-30T17:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/30\/africom-airstrikes-take-out-four-al-shabab-militants\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:29:30","slug":"africom-airstrikes-take-out-four-al-shabab-militants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/30\/africom-airstrikes-take-out-four-al-shabab-militants\/","title":{"rendered":"AFRICOM airstrikes take out four al-Shabab militants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Africa Command conducted three <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/16\/africoms-60th-airstrike-in-somalia-this-year-takes-out-terrorist\/\" target=\"_blank\">airstrikes<\/a> targeting al-Shabab militants in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2019\/05\/21\/us-troops-nonprofit-trainers-and-a-lightning-brigade-battle-for-somalia\/\" target=\"_blank\">Somalia<\/a> Dec. 29 \u2014 taking out four militants, according to the command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the airstrikes were conducted in Qunyo Barrow, and the third was conducted in Caliyoow Barrow to target militants who had organized terrorist attacks and were working with al-Qaida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to the four casualties, the airstrikes also decimated two vehicles. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/11\/05\/africom-commander-heads-to-somalia-as-airstrikes-against-violent-extremists-rise\/\" target=_blank>AFRICOM<\/a> said no civilians were injured or killed during the strikes, per the command\u2019s current assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSince al-Shabaab\u2019s first external attack in 2010, the group has ruthlessly killed hundreds,\u201d Army Maj. Gen. William Gayler, AFRICOM\u2019s director of operations, said in a recent news release. \u201cThey have attacked and killed African partners, allies and fellow Americans. They are a global menace and their sights are set on exporting violence regionally and eventually attacking the U.S. homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AFRICOM strikes come after a vehicle bomb killed more than 80 people in Mogadishu on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Shabab did not say it was behind the Saturday attack, but Somalia\u2019s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajor claimed the violent extremist group was the culprit, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/at-least-70-killed-by-truck-bomb-in-somalias-capital-11577539770\">according to the Wall Street Journal<\/a>. AFRICOM also pointed a finger at al-Shabab for conducting the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFRICOM spokesperson Air Force Col. Chris Karns told Military Times the three airstrikes were not a direct response to the vehicle bombing, but demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that violent extremist organizations do not dismantle the progress Africa, the U.S. and international partners have made to bring security to the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRemoving even one terrorist is a preventative measure and insurance that particular nefarious fighter will no longer do harm to innocent people who are working toward a better future,\u201d Karns said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These groups are aiming to target areas outside of Somalia, including the U.S., Karns warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThreat on the African continent require constant vigilance,\u201d he said. \u201cGroups, such as al-Shabab, may not have the current capability, but they certainly have an intent to strike U.S. interests and the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, he said, it\u2019s in the best interest of the U.S. and African partners to continue to exert pressure on these violent extremist organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A total of 63 airstrikes against violent extremist organizations have been conducted in Somalia this year, according to Karns. That\u2019s up from the 47 conducted in 2018, and the 35 conducted in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFRICOM estimates there are approximately 5,000 to 7,000 al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, and another 150 to 300 ISIS-Somalia militants there. Karns said al-Shabab maintains control of roughly 20 percent of the territory of Somalia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, AFRICOM previously told Military Times in November that there are an average of 650 to 800 U.S. forces in Somalia at any point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The AFRICOM strikes come after a vehicle bomb killed more than 80 people in Mogadishu on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":95377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,93,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3303],"class_list":["post-52049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OL6BQONWEZHBXNRJG5F4JRSDYU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2019\/12\/30\/africom-airstrikes-take-out-four-al-shabab-militants\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - 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