WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States carried out an airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabaab on Tuesday, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced in a press release.
"In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, the Department of Defense conducted a precision airstrike in central Somalia against al-Shabaab militants on Tues., Sept. 5 at approximately 9:50 a.m. local Somalia time, killing three (3) terrorists," the release said.
In March, US President Donald Trump approved a Defense Department request to intensify strikes against al-Shabaab in Somalia. However, the US forces are still conducting very few strikes in the country. Nevertheless, during the operation, the US has already managed to eliminate one of the high-ranking commanders of al-Shabaab.
Somalia has been experiencing violence since the eruption of the civil war between the clan-based armed factions in the country in the early 1990s. Al-Shabaab has been staging numerous attacks in the country in an attempt to establish the strict Sharia law in it.
