U.S. troops in Somalia came under attack for a second time in two weeks on Friday and carried out an airstrike against al-Shabaab about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of Kismayo in Lower Juba Province, U.S. Africa Command said.
“The U.S. airstrike was conducted against militants after U.S. and partner forces came under attack. We currently assess eighteen (18) terrorists were killed in the strike,” Africom said in a Saturday, September 22 press release.
“Two (2) other terrorists were killed by Somali forces with small arms fire during the engagement.”
The airstrike was conducted after Shabaab militants “were observed maneuvering on a combined patrol of Somali National Security Forces and U.S. forces,” Nate Herring, a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command, told The Defense Post.
“In self-defense, the U.S. conducted an airstrike and used indirect fire. No partner force members or U.S. service members were injured or killed during this engagement.”
Somali forces killed two additional militants, Herring said.
Africom works with AMISOM on both advise-and-assist missions as well as air support missions to target al-Shabaab’s forces, but has drawn controversy from strikes that have killed civilians.