Despite earlier this month claiming that, "the Al-Shabab group is no longer a direct threat to the United States," 13 Al-Shabab fighters were killed in Somalia after an airstrike outside the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday deliberately targeted Al-Shabab fighters.
RELATED:
US Military to Shift Focus From Syria And Somalia
U.S. Africom claimed direct responsiblilty, issuing a statement that read, "To support the Federal Government of Somalia's continued efforts to degrade al-Shabab, US Africa Command conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabab fighters in the vicinity of Gandarshe, Lower Shebelle Region, Somalia, on February 1, 2019."
The attack, which took place in 48km south of Mogadishu in the 'Horn of Africa' country, and was the 10th attack by the U.S. in 2019 alone, according to Al Jazeera.
While U.S. Africom admitted they were behind the attack, they confirmed that after assessment, "no civilians were killed or injured in this airstrike."
Al-Shabab is an Al-Qaeda-linked armed group whose objective is to overthrow the current Western-backed government. According to Al Jazeera, "they regularly stage attacks against the Somali military, and against troops from the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force AMISOM."