A U.S. military airstrike has killed 18 al-Shabaab extremists after U.S. and local forces came under attack in southern Somalia, the U.S. Africa Command said Saturday.

The airstrike was carried out in self-defence on Friday about 50 kilometres northwest of the port city of Kismayo, the U.S. statement said.

Two other al-Shabaab extremists were killed by Somali forces "with small arms fire during the engagement," it said.

No U.S. or partner forces were killed or injured, an AFRICOM spokesman, Nate Herring, told The Associated Press. The airstrike was carried out after extremists were "observed manoeuvring on a combined patrol" of U.S. and Somali forces, while the U.S. also responded with "indirect fire," Herring said.

20 airstrikes this year

The U.S. has carried out more than 20 airstrikes this year against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa.

U.S. military involvement in Somalia has grown since U.S. President Donald Trump early in his term approved expanded operations against al-Shabaab. Dozens of drone strikes followed. Late last year the military also carried out its first airstrike against a small presence of fighters linked to the group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northern Somalia.

Since the expanded operations, two U.S. military personnel have been killed in Somalia.

A service member was killed in May 2017 during an operation about 60 kilometres west of Mogadishu. And in June, one U.S. special operations soldier was killed and four U.S. service members wounded in an "enemy attack" as troops with Somali and Kenyan forces came under mortar and small-arms fire in Jubaland.

The U.S. currently has about 500 military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation.

Al-Shabaab, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, was pushed out of Mogadishu in recent years but continues to control rural areas in the south and central regions. Its fighters continue to attack the bases of a multinational African Union force that remains largely responsible for security as Somalia's fragile central government tries to recover from decades of chaos.

In the next few years Somali forces are expected to take over responsibility for the country's security as the AU force withdraws. Concerns about their readiness remain high, and the UN Security Council recently voted to delay the handover's target date to December 2021.</s>WASHINGTON: US forces acting in self defense called in an airstrike on al Shabaab militants in the southern Somalia province of Lower Juba, killing an estimated 18 Islamist extremists, US Africa Command said on Saturday.

Somali government troops accompanying the US unit killed two other fighters of the al Qaeda-linked group with small arms fire during the clash that took place on Friday, it said.

"The US airstrike was conducted against militants after US and partner forces came under attack," US Africa Command said in a statement.

"We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed."

The clash took place about 30 miles (50 km) northwest of the Lower Juba port city of Kismayo.

US forces are in Somalia supporting a UN-backed government against al Shabaab, an Islamist extremist group that lost control of most of the country's towns and cities after withdrawing from the capital Mogadishu in 2011.</s>WASHINGTON: United States and allied forces came under attack in Somalia, triggering an air strike which killed 18 Al-Shabaab militants, the US military said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Kismayo in the south of the Horn of Africa country where Somali commandos work side-by-side with the American forces that train them. Air assaults and missile strikes have increased in recent months. “The US airstrike was conducted against militants after US and partner forces came under attack,” US Africa Command said in a statement. US forces also partner with the United Nations-backed African Union Mission in Somalia, which aims to counter the threat from Al-Shabaab jihadists. The air strike was conducted “in self-defense,” killing 18 militants, Africa Command said.</s>United States and allied forces came under attack in Somalia, triggering an air strike which killed 18 Al-Shabaab militants, the US military said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday 50km northwest of Kismayo in the south of the Horn of Africa country where Somali commandos work side-by-side with the American forces that train them.

Air assaults and missile strikes have increased in recent months.

“The US airstrike was conducted against militants after US and partner forces came under attack,” US Africa Command said in a statement.

US forces also partner with the United Nations-backed African Union Mission in Somalia, which aims to counter the threat from Al-Shabaab jihadists.

The air strike was conducted “in self-defence,” killing 18 militants, Africa Command said.

Two other militants “were killed by Somali forces with small arms fire during the engagement,” it added.

In June an American commando was killed during an attack in southern Somalia that also wounded four US military members and a Somali soldier, officials said at the time.

More than 500 American personnel are partnered with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces.

Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed Somali government in Mogadishu.</s>US airstrike kills 18 al-Shabab after US attacked in Somalia

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A U.S. military airstrike has killed 18 al-Shabab extremists after U.S. and local forces on the ground came under attack in southern Somalia, the U.S. Africa Command said Saturday.

No U.S. or Somali forces were killed or injured in the attack, an AFRICOM spokesman, Nate Herring, told The Associated Press. The airstrike was carried out Friday in self-defense after extremists were "observed maneuvering on a combined patrol," while the U.S. also responded with "indirect fire," the spokesman said.

The confrontation occurred about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of the port city of Kismayo, the U.S. Africa Command statement said. Two other al-Shabab extremists were killed by Somali forces "with small arms fire during the engagement," it said.

The operation was Somali-led, the AFRICOM spokesman said. There was no immediate comment from Somali authorities.

The U.S. has carried out more than 20 airstrikes this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa.

U.S. military involvement in Somalia has grown since President Donald Trump early in his term approved expanded operations against al-Shabab. Dozens of drone strikes followed. Late last year the military also carried out its first airstrike against a small presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State in northern Somalia.

Since the expanded operations, two U.S. military personnel have been killed in Somalia.

A service member was killed in May 2017 during an operation about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Mogadishu. And in June, one U.S. special operations soldier was killed and four U.S. service members wounded in an "enemy attack" as troops with Somali and Kenyan forces came under mortar and small-arms fire in Jubaland.

The U.S. currently has about 500 military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation.

Al-Shabab, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, was pushed out of Mogadishu in recent years but continues to control rural areas in the south and central regions. Its fighters continue to attack the bases of a multinational African Union force that remains largely responsible for security as Somalia's fragile central government tries to recover from decades of chaos.

In the next few years Somali forces are expected to take over responsibility for the country's security as the AU force withdraws. Concerns about their readiness remain high, and the U.N. Security Council recently voted to delay the handover's target date to December 2021.</s>JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The U.S. military says it has carried an airstrike that killed 18 al-Shabab extremists after U.S. and local forces came under attack in southern Somalia.

The U.S. Africa Command says in a statement the airstrike was carried out in self-defense on Friday about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of the port city of Kismayo.

The statement says two other al-Shabab extremists were killed by Somali forces “with small arms fire during the engagement.”

An AFRICOM spokesman says no U.S. or partner forces were injured. The spokesman says the airstrike was carried out after extremists were “observed maneuvering on a combined patrol” of U.S. and Somali forces.

The U.S. has carried out more than 20 such airstrikes this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa.</s>WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. forces acting in self defense called in an airstrike on al Shabaab militants in the southern Somalia province of Lower Juba, killing an estimated 18 Islamist extremists, U.S. Africa Command said on Saturday.

Somali government troops accompanying the U.S. unit killed two other fighters of the al Qaeda-linked group with small arms fire during the clash that took place on Friday, it said.

"The U.S. airstrike was conducted against militants after U.S. and partner forces came under attack," U.S. Africa Command said in a statement. "We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed."

The clash took place about 30 miles (50 km) northwest of the Lower Juba port city of Kismayo.

U.S. forces are in Somalia supporting a U.N.-backed government against al Shabaab, an Islamist extremist group that lost control of most of the country's towns and cities after withdrawing from the capital Mogadishu in 2011. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; editing by Diane Craft)</s>JOHANNESBURG—A U.S. military airstrike has killed 18 Al Shabab extremists after U.S. and local forces on the ground came under attack in southern Somalia, the U.S. Africa Command said Saturday. No U.S. or Somali forces were killed or injured in the attack, an AFRICOM spokesman, Nate Herring, told The Associated Press. The airstrike was carried out Friday in self-defence after extremists were “observed manoeuvring on a combined patrol,” while the U.S. also responded with “indirect fire,” the spokesman said.

The confrontation occurred about 50 kilometres northwest of the port city of Kismayo, the U.S. Africa Command statement said. Two other Al Shabab extremists were killed by Somali forces “with small arms fire during the engagement,” it said. The operation was Somali-led, the AFRICOM spokesman said. There was no immediate comment from Somali authorities. The U.S. has carried out more than 20 airstrikes this year against the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since the expanded operations, two U.S. military personnel have been killed in Somalia. A service member was killed in May 2017 during an operation about 64 kilometres west of Mogadishu. And in June, one U.S. special operations soldier was killed and four U.S. service members wounded in an “enemy attack” as troops with Somali and Kenyan forces came under mortar and small-arms fire in Jubaland.

The U.S. currently has about 500 military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation. Al Shabab, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, was pushed out of Mogadishu in recent years but continues to control rural areas in the south and central regions. Its fighters continue to attack the bases of a multinational African Union force that remains largely responsible for security as Somalia’s fragile central government tries to recover from decades of chaos. In the next few years Somali forces are expected to take over responsibility for the country’s security as the AU force withdraws. Concerns about their readiness remain high, and the UN Security Council recently voted to delay the handover’s target date to December 2021.</s>Al-Shabaab remains focused on recapturing power in Somalia, but it continues to plot attacks in Kenya and Tanzania – and perhaps in Uganda as well. To counter the movement, East African states should eschew heavy-handed crackdowns and work instead to reduce its appeal to potential recruits.

What's happening? Five years after an attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall, Al-Shabaab appears committed to striking targets across East Africa. Security crackdowns have blunted its capacity to stage regular assaults, but complacency could roll back those gains, as could failure to engage with communities in which the group recruits.

Why did it happen? Al-Shabaab aims to pressure regional governments to withdraw troops from Somalia, where an African Union mission has been battling the militants since 2007. The group also uses its attacks in East Africa to raise its profile, seek new recruits and solicit funding.

Why does it matter? Despite losing territory in Somalia and cutting back recruitment in Kenya under pressure from authorities, Al-Shabaab has adapted by finding new areas of operation, including by building relationships with militants in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

What should be done? Authorities should avoid blanket arrests and extrajudicial killings, involve local leaders in efforts to tackle recruitment, while taking steps to address broader grievances that Al-Shabaab taps into in its narrative, including the political and economic exclusion of Muslim minorities in East Africa.

Five years ago, on 21 September 2013, four Al-Shabaab militants stormed the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, killing 67 during the ensuing four-day siege and demonstrating the movement’s reach outside Somalia. Kenyan authorities’ subsequent indiscriminate crackdowns fuelled Muslim anger and accelerated militant recruitment. In 2015, however, top officials switched approaches, better involving community leaders in efforts against Al-Shabaab. The movement reacted by relocating operations, including by forging closer ties with militants in Tanzania, parts of which saw more attacks. Tanzanian authorities launched their own campaign, replicating some of Kenya’s mistakes. Both countries’ track records suggest that blanket arrests and police brutality consistently backfire. More effective is to combine steps that disrupt militant recruitment with policies aimed at addressing the grievances their propaganda exploits, notably Muslims’ political and economic marginalisation. In Uganda, too, though Al-Shabaab has made no major inroads, security forces’ mistreatment of Muslims risks creating problems where thus far few exist.

While Al-Shabaab remains focused on recapturing power and enforcing its variant of Islamic law in Somalia, it has long operated elsewhere in East Africa. At first it built networks to generate funds and recruits, largely refraining from attacks. That changed in March 2007, after the deployment of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), a regional force sent to prop up the body then recognised as the Somali government. The group has repeatedly struck countries that had dispatched troops to AMISOM.

After the highest-profile of these attacks, the Westgate siege, Kenyan authorities squeezed militant networks, forcing some to relocate and adapt tactics. But by casting a wide net, they also deepened frustration among Muslims at the state and aided Al-Shabaab recruitment. Militant attacks escalated between 2013 and 2015, often threatening to tip into wider ethnic or religious clashes. In mid-2015, a major attack on Garissa University College prompted a shake-up in the security forces and a rethink. Along Kenya’s coast, local officials spearheaded efforts against militancy, involving communities in security provision. In the north east, another hotspot, locals assumed prominent security sector slots. At the same time, Nairobi devolved power and resources to local governments under the terms of a constitution adopted in 2010, partly redressing the inequality and resentment of central government that militants played on. Intelligence gathering improved, and though some police abuses continue, the tempo of militant attacks slowed.

Al-Shabaab will likely remain a formidable force inside Somalia and a menace outside it.

Al-Shabaab has, however, deepened its ties to Tanzanian militants. As early as 2011, parts of Tanzania had suffered sporadic killings of Christians, Muslim clerics, police officers and ruling-party cadres. Officials at first blamed criminals, denying Islamist militants were responsible. But stepped-up assaults since 2015 forced the authorities to acknowledge the growing challenge. They, too, launched crackdowns. Religious and political leaders in Tanzania contend that heavy-handed policing, including extrajudicial killings, risks driving young people into militants’ arms and fuelling intercommunal tension. Zanzibar’s protracted crisis, involving successive contested elections, also has pushed youths toward militancy, as traditional leaders who for years pursued reform peacefully lose credibility.

In Uganda, on the other hand, Al-Shabaab has struggled to gain traction – in large part due to better integration of Somalis, and Muslims overall, into society. No obvious ally for Al-Shabaab exists. This relatively good news story may not last, however. Over recent years, Ugandan security forces have rounded up large numbers of Muslims, creating a potential constituency. A new police chief pledges to end abuses but is still unproven. If the authorities do not change course, they could prompt disaffected youth to turn to militancy.

Al-Shabaab has not pulled off a major strike outside Somalia since Garissa. In Kenya, its influence has waned even as the threat of attacks lingers; competition among ethnic elites around elections poses a far graver threat to stability. In Tanzania, where militant violence has been on the rise, it seems unlikely to expand into a full-blown insurgency. But as regional and Western officials, as well as Al-Shabaab’s own propaganda, suggest, the group is still plotting major attacks abroad. While its precise links to local groups, which revolve mostly around personal ties among militants, remain unclear, those links allow Al-Shabaab to project an image of regional potency. In turn, local groups burnish their credentials by claiming affiliation with the Somali movement and tying parochial struggles to a wider cause.

Given the diversity among the countries themselves, the fortunes of Muslims in each and the different states’ varied experiences with Islamist militancy, there is no one prescription for tackling the threat. Nor, in East Africa as elsewhere, does a single, linear pathway toward militancy exist: recruits have ranged from law graduates to recent converts to Islam to poor Muslim youths in rural and urban peripheries. But there are lessons in Kenya’s shift in tack, however imperfect, after 2015. Put simply, indiscriminate crackdowns make things worse. More effective policies include giving local officials the lead, consulting with communities whose youth militants attempt to lure into their ranks and appointing Muslims to top positions in the security forces, while also taking steps to tackle underlying grievances. That lesson is a valuable one for Tanzania. It also shows the dangers for Uganda of abusing its Muslim population.

Al-Shabaab will likely remain a formidable force inside Somalia and a menace outside it. Even were that to change, militancy in Kenya and Tanzania, which in places predates Al Shabaab’s involvement, can be expected to endure as long as grievances linger; indeed, it already possesses its own dynamics, as groups respond to local conditions more than instruction from abroad. Al-Shabaab itself has proven adaptable, slipping away as dragnets close in. East African states need to be equally quick on their feet, fine-tuning security measures while crafting political and economic policies that weaken militancy’s allure.</s>A US military drone attack in southern Somalia killed 18 al-Shabab fighters after American and local forces on the ground came under attack, the US Africa Command said.

The air strike was carried out Friday in self-defence after fighters were "observed manoeuvring on a combined patrol," while the US also responded with "indirect fire", a military spokesman said on Saturday.

No US or Somali forces were killed or wounded in the attack, AFRICOM spokesman Nate Herring told The Associated Press.

The confrontation occurred about 50km northwest of the port city of Kismayo, the US Africa Command statement added.

Two other al-Shabab fighters were killed by Somali forces with small arms fire during the engagement, it said.

The US has carried out more than 20 air raids this year against al-Shabab.

US military involvement in Somalia has grown since President Donald Trump early in his term approved expanded operations against al-Shabab. Dozens of drone attacks followed.

Late last year, the military also carried out its first air raid against a small presence of fighters linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in northern Somalia.

Since the expanded operations, two US military personnel have been killed in Somalia.

A soldier was killed in May 2017 during an operation about 64km west of Mogadishu.

And in June, one American commando was killed and four US troops wounded in an "enemy attack" as Somali and Kenyan forces came under mortar and small-arms fire in Jubaland.

The US currently has about 500 military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation.

Al-Shabab was pushed out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in recent years but continues to control rural areas in the south and central regions.

The al-Qaeda-linked group is fighting to overthrow the UN-backed government and has been carrying our bomb and gun attacks for more than a decade.

Its fighters continue to attack the bases of a multinational African Union force that remains largely responsible for security, as Somalia's fragile central government tries to recover from decades of chaos.

In the next few years, Somali forces are expected to take over responsibility for the country's security as the AU force withdraws.

Concerns about their readiness remain high, and the UN Security Council recently voted to delay the handover's target date to December 2021.
A U.S. airstrike kills 18 Al Shabaab militants north of Kismayo, Somalia. The militants were engaged in an attack on U.S. and local forces.