August 18, (THEWILL) – At least 13 fighters of the al-Shabaab militant group have been killed in an airstrike by the US Forces in Somalia.
The Pentagon’s Africa Command, in a statement, said the strike took place on August 14, near Teedaan in the central-southern part of the country, while Shabaab fighters were attacking Somali National Army forces.
“US forces are authorised to conduct strikes in defence of designated partner forces”, the statement said, adding that an initial assessment of the strike showed that no civilians were injured or killed.
Last week, US forces killed four Shabaab members in a strike in the same region.
Al-Shabaab, which the United States labels a terrorist group, has led an insurrection against Somalia’s federal government for 15 years.
The group controls swathes of the countryside and frequently strikes civilian and military targets.
In May, President Joe Biden ordered the re-establishment of a US troop presence in Somalia, to help local authorities combat Al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump to withdraw most US forces.
