The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted an airstrike on Sunday in the vicinity of Jilib against one member of an al-Shabaab* terrorist group, in conjunction with the federal government of Somalia.
William Gayler, AFRICOM director of operations, stated that al-Shabaab is an affiliate of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and seeks to further a "jihadist agenda".
"Removal of even one terrorist makes the region and the U.S. safer. Continuous pressure on the network is necessary to prevent al-Shabaab from building a safe haven and exporting violence," Gayler said.
Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. conduct airstrike against al-Shabaab terroristhttps://t.co/9RObi7YbaM pic.twitter.com/r5b8YUw5oL
— US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) February 2, 2020
AFRICOM claimed there were no civilian casualties as a result of the strike.
Earlier on 27 January, AFRICOM carried out a similar airstrike in the vicinity of Jilib, targeting another member of the al-Shabaab terrorist group.
The latest development comes after it was determined that Somalia was hit by more US airstrikes in 2019 than at any time prior, with a total of more than 60.
*al-Shabaab is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
