U.S. launches airstrike on al-Shabaab in Somalia

The U.S. Africa Command said it killed four al-Shabaab extremists, including a former commander, in self-defense airstrikes, according to a statement released Tuesday.

The U.S. military unit said al-Shabaab extremists on Monday attacked Somali troops and some U.S. advisers outside the port city of Kismayo. Somali forces returned fire, killing several of the militants. The United States intervened when the attack continued.

Somali publication Garowe Online said the U.S. forces carried out airstrikes in the Kanjaron district, 27 miles west of Kismayo, where al-Shabaab runs a training base. Bashir Dhere, a former al-Shabaab deputy militia commander, died in the attack.

U.S. forces have executed several airstrikes on the Islamic extremist group in recent months, killing some al-Shabaab leaders. Earlier this month, the United States conducted two airstrikes in southern Somalia that killed four al-Shabaab militants. Another strike in May killed Abdullahi Haji Da’ud, a senior military planner who coordinated al-Shabaab attacks in Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda.

“Violent extremists endanger the safety and stability of the Somali people,” said a statement from U.S. Africa Command. “Countering these threats remains in our common interests.”

Al-Shabaab, an east African al-Qaeda affiliate, has carried out an insurgency against Somalia’s weak government since 2006. A 22,000-member African Union force pushed the extremist group out of the capital, Mogadishu, but still it continues with attacks across the country.

Somali election officials on Monday said they pushed back the country’s elections by a month amid security and administrative issues. The war-torn country has continued efforts to create a central government since the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Barre in 1991, which created a vacuum for al-Shabaab and other warring sects to thrive.

The United Nations special representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, said Tuesday the delay raises concerns of political manipulation, but it can be avoided.

“What is most critical at this point is that the new extension does not create political space for manipulation or disruption by spoilers,” Keating said. “Rather, the urgency and momentum must be maintained and the additional time used to ensure that the process is as transparent and credible as possible.”