US forces have conducted an air strike in Somalia that killed 24 Al-Shabaab militants, 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 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 terrorists 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 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 militants, and last month the US military said it had killed 62 Shabaab militants 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 militants 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 bomb attacks on government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu as well as ambushes on military convoys and outposts.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

African arms market to grow by 50 pct over five years: analyst
Abidjan (AFP) Jan 24, 2019
Africa's arms market is likely to grow by 50 percent over the next five years, analyst Stephane Konan said at a four-day trade show in Ivory Coast. "The African market in defence represents only a drop of water in relation to the world market: 42.6 billion dollars out of 1,731 billion in 2017," Konan told AFP, citing figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). "But it is in steady growth and should increase by 50 percent over the next five years. That's why the pr ... read more