Somali military says 40 Al-Shabaab fighters killed, aided by U.S.

By : DPA

Date: 10 July 2023 8:16am WAT

(FILES) In this handout photo taken on June 10, 2016 and released by AMISOM shows Major General Nakibus Lakara, the Acting Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), examining weapons and walkies-talkies captured from Al-Shabaab militants. - In the past decade 2010-2019 Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab has lost territory, suffered defections and faced increased US air strikes, but analysts say the group is as strong a threat as ever, flourishing under a weak government. Despite years of expensive efforts to combat the group, Al-Shabaab managed once again to detonate a vehicle packed with explosives in Mogadishu, massacring 81 people on Saturday in one of the deadliest attacks of the decade. (Photo by Ilyas Hamed / AMISOM / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO

The Somali military said on Sunday it had killed around 40 fighters and commanders of the Islamist terrorist militia Al-Shabaab.

The United States supported the Somalis with three air strikes during fighting in the south of the country near the border with Kenya, the U.S. military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.

According to AFRICOM, 10 Al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in the strike and there were no civilian casualties.

The U.S. supports Somalia in the fight against Islamists with drones and other assistance.

The country on the Horn of Africa with about 16 million inhabitants has been rocked for years by attacks and other acts of violence, especially by Al-Shabaab.

For several months, the government in Mogadishu has been advancing against the terrorist group with a military offensive.

But the militia is increasingly attacking government bases and foreign troops in the country.

African Union peacekeepers stationed in the country are preparing to withdraw by the end of 2024 and have so far handed over six military bases to the Somali army.