US stamps authority on Somali militants

THE US military has quietly upped the tempo of its operations in Somalia, conducting a growing number of drone strikes against al-Qaeda affiliated Shabaab militants and other jihadists.

Since the start of the year, America has carried out 28 drone strikes in the Horn of Africa nation, with 15 of these coming since September 1, the military’s Africa Command (Africom) said.

That’s a big increase from last year, when there were 15 antiShabaab air-strikes.

The surge in activity comes as the US watches for an influx of fighters from the Islamic State group, which has lost almost all its territory in Iraq and Syria.

The US conducted a pair of drone strikes against IS in Somalia on November 3, the first time it has hit the jihadists there.

Though the Pentagon has provided few details about the strikes, spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said this week that US forces had killed 40 Shabaab and IS fighters in a series of five strikes on Somalia between November 9 and 12.

On Wednesday, Africom announced a sixth strike that killed “several” Shabaab militants 97km northwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

The surge in activity comes after President Donald Trump in March loosened constraints on the US military in Somalia, allowing commanders to take action against suspected terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval.

The US is supporting the country’s fight against Shabaab, which has carried out a string of devastating bombings in Mogadishu and elsewhere.

Aside from US forces training Somalia’s military, about 22 000 African Union troops are helping secure outlying areas.

Amisom, the AU’s mission in Somalia, has said it will withdraw 1 000 troops fighting jihadists in the country this year, as part of plans to pull out all soldiers by December 2020. — AFP