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Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...Death Eaters, officials said Thursday, adding to a spate of such strikes against the al-Qaeda affiliate.
The strike a day earlier was near a "terrorist encampment location" in the Hiran region of central Somalia, US Africa Command said in a statement.
The action came as part of an ongoing mission in which US forces work with African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
and Somali national security forces to fight the Shabaab jihadist movement.
Such "strikes continue to help our partners make progress in their fight against the transnational forces of Evil who oppose peace in Somalia and in the region," said Major General Gregg Olson, Africa Command director of operations.
The Pentagon has increased the rate of strikes in Somalia in recent years, partly because President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
loosened constraints on when the US military can take action against alleged terrorists.
Although the military did not specify in its latest statement, such air strikes in Somalia are typically carried out by armed drones.
Earlier in January Africa Command said a strike killed 52 Somali Death Eaters, and last month the US military said it had killed 62 Shabaab bully boyz during six air strikes in the Horn of Africa nation.
In October, the military said it conducted its largest air strike in nearly two years against bully boyz in Somalia, killing about 60 Shabaab fighters, who are battling to overthrow the internationally supported government in Mogadishu.
Shabaab fighters were pushed out of Somalia's capital in 2011, and subsequently from other towns and cities, by African Union troops.
But the Islamists still hold sway in large parts of the countryside.
They launch regular gun and kabooms on government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu as well as ambushes on military convoys and outposts.