Home News in English U.S. Airstrikes Kill 200 Al-Shabaab Jihadis So Far in 2019

U.S. Airstrikes Kill 200 Al-Shabaab Jihadis So Far in 2019

American military airstrikes killed nearly 60 jihadis from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia over the last three days, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced. According to AFRICOM, which oversees American military operations on the continent, the U.S. air campaign to degrade the Al-Qaeda affiliate killed two Al-Shabaab terrorists on Saturday, 35 on Sunday, and 20 on Monday, reportedly bringing the total number of jihadi fatalities to at least 200 from over 20 airstrikes so far this year. The six airstrikes launched over the last three days targeted encampments, training camps, checkpoints used by the jihadis to collect illegal taxes, and attempts by the terrorists mass their forces.

Referring to the February 25 strike, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Gregory Hadfield, the deputy director of intelligence at AFRICOM, declared: We are committed to supporting our Somali partners in our shared goal of diminishing Al-Shabaab’s networks and disrupting its operations. This precision airstrike successfully targeted an encampment from which Al-Shabaab could stage, coordinate, and execute attacks on Beledweyne. “Degrading various facilities and checkpoints impacts al-Shabaab’s ability to finance operations, recruit, and execute operations,” Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Gregg Olson, the director of operations at AFRICOM, added in a separate statement, referring to the four strikes on February 23 strikes

On Sunday, the U.S. military struck armed al-Shabaab jihadis as they were moving between locations. “In the case of this strike, we interrupted an Al Shabaab attempt to mass their forces. Precision strikes eliminated a potential threat to our partners and to the people of Somalia well before the terrorists ever got themselves organized,” Gen. Olson noted about the strike on February 24.

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