US Launches Second Air Strike In A Week Targeting Al-Shabaab In Somalia

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2021 ) :The US military conducted an air strike in Somalia on Friday against Al-Shabaab militants, the second in four days after a six-month hiatus, the Pentagon said.

The US military command for Africa (AFRICOM), "conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabaab in the vicinity of Qeycad" in Galmudug province 300 miles (500 kilometers) north of the capital Mogadishu, Pentagon spokeswoman Cindi King told AFP.

The strike was carried out by a drone and there were no US forces on the ground, King said, adding no further details could be provided.

The strike was the second carried out by the US military in Somalia in a week, and only the second under US President Joe Biden, who took office in January this year.

On Tuesday, AFRICOM targeted Al-Shabaab militants near Galkayo, northwest of Qeycad.

As soon as Biden arrived at the White House, he limited the use of drones against militants groups outside US theaters of war.

That reversed the policy of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had given the military carte blanche in countries such as Somalia and Libya.