{"id":59516,"date":"2019-09-30T12:12:02","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T12:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/30\/extremists-launch-2-attacks-on-military-targets-in-somalia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:39:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:39:03","slug":"extremists-launch-2-attacks-on-military-targets-in-somalia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/09\/30\/extremists-launch-2-attacks-on-military-targets-in-somalia\/","title":{"rendered":"US launches airstrikes on al-Shabab in response to attack on US commando outpost in Somalia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. military said it launched retaliatory airstrikes targeting al-Shabab militants following the group\u2019s brazen attack on a U.S. commando outpost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. assessed it killed 10 fighters and destroyed a vehicle after launching two airstrikes and engaging militants with small arms fire, according to a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Somali-based insurgents launched attacks on Western targets across Somalia targeting a commando outpost believed to house U.S. forces<\/a>, military officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A suicide car bomber targeted Italian peacekeepers in Mogadishu in a separate attack. The explosion missed the convoy but wounded nearby Somali civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Somali military says it repelled the al-Shabab attack on the Baledogle airbase, which was hit by two suicide bombings and heavy gunfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No U.S. or partner forces were injured during the attack on the Baledogle airfield, according to a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis attack, though ineffective, demonstrates the direct threat al-Shabaab poses to Americans, our allies, and interests in the region,\u201d Maj. Gen. William Gayler, U.S. Africa Command director of operations, said in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncidents like this will not compromise the pressure being placed on this terrorist network by the Federal Government of Somalia and international partners,” Gayler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baledogle outpost is located in the Lower Shabelle \u2014 a region rife with Islamic militants and Shabab fighters. The base is believed to house U.S. special operations forces, a Somali commando force and a small airstrip for launching drone attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shabab claimed the responsibility for the attack against the airfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. has roughly 650 to 800 Defense Department personnel in Somalia, according to Lt. Cmdr. Desiree Frame, a spokeswoman for AFRICOM. That figure includes military and civilian workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent UN report<\/a> said that the security situation in Somalia remains \u201cvolatile,\u201d and noted an increase in improvised explosive attacks in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airstrikes against Somali militants are up slightly compared to 2018. AFRICOM carried out 52 airstrikes in 2019 against against al-Shabab and ISIS-Somalia militants \u2014 47 strikes were conducted in 2018, Frame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those airstrikes are causing Shabab militants to alter their tactics. The UN report said Shabab fighters have increased operations in urban areas to mitigate U.S. airstrikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cU.S. forces, in cooperation with the government of Somalia, are conducting ongoing counter-terrorism operations to degrade the terrorist groups\u2019 capabilities to recruit, train, and plot terror attacks in Somalia and the region,\u201d Frame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials with AFRICOM estimate there are 5,000 to 7,000 Shabab militants and 100 to 300 ISIS-Somalia fighters in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdditionally, Al-Shabaab controls roughly 20 percent of Somalia, primarily in southern Somalia where they have maintained a historical presence,\u201d Frame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials with AFRICOM would not confirm the presence of the Somali and American commandos at the Baledogle base, citing operational security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But AFRICOM is assisting the Somali government in training and building a Somali special operations unit dubbed Danab \u2014 a Somali term for lighting, according to Frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Danab units are designed to provide the Somalis with both a force to take on violent extremist organizations and a professional cadre that has a longer term impact on the larger Somali National Army,\u201d Frame explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\t