US air strikes Al-Shabaab in Somalia after withdrawal announcement

The United States on Thursday carried out two air strikes in
Somalia, targeting explosives experts working for Al-Shabaab militant group,
after it announced it will withdraw most of troops from the country, AFP
reported.

 The strikes were
carried out in the area of Jilib in the country’s south against the group that
“remains a dangerous franchise of Al-Qaeda,” the US military said in
a statement, the agency reported.

“The initial assessment indicates the strike killed
terrorists who were known to play important roles in producing explosives for
Al-Shabaab,” it said, adding that it appeared so far that no civilians
were wounded or killed.

The strikes were meant to convey a message, the US statement
continued, to the militant group active in the region that the country remains
steadfast in its resolve to stand by the African country against terrorism.

“This strike should demonstrate to any enemy that we
stand by our partners and will vigorously defend both ourselves and our
partners during this repositioning and future operations,” US Major
General Dagvin Anderson, special operations commander for Africa, said.

The Donald Trump administration on December 4 announced that
it will withdraw most of the troops and other personnel from the
conflict-ridden country in the horn of Africa.

The Trump administration had earlier announced a similar
move for Afghanistan, which continues to be ravaged by internecine conflict
between the national government and twin terror of Taliban and Islamic State.

The US has maintained some 700 troops, personnel and private
security contractors in Somalia, conducting both attacks on Al-Shabaab and
training Somali forces.

Al-Shabaab, believed to include between 5,000 and 9,000
fighters, is the main radical Islamist group in the Horn of Africa nation.