US says airstrike kills 5 al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia
By Natasha Bertrand, CNN
(CNN) — The US military conducted an airstrike killing five al-Shabaab terrorists on Tuesday, US Africa Command said in a statement.
The airstrike was carried out in support of Somali National Army forces “in a remote area near Cali Heele, approximately 244 kilometers North East of Mogadishu, Somalia.” The initial assessment showed that no civilians were killed in the airstrike, AFRICOM said.
“Somalia remains key to the security environment in East Africa. US Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising and equipping partner forces to give them the tools that they need to degrade al-Shabaab,” the statement says.
The US has provided ongoing support to the Somali government since President Joe Biden last year approved a Pentagon request to redeploy US troops to the area in an attempt to counter the terrorist group.
The approval to send fewer than 500 troops was a reversal of then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 decision to withdraw nearly all US troops from the country.
The-CNN-Wire
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