Somalia: US Military States 27 al-Shabaab Fighters Killed

Facts

• The US military stated on Wednesday that it killed 27 al-Shabaab fighters in an airstrike on Sunday. This took place in the central Somali region of Hiraan, where the Somali military and forces of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) launched an offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group last month.
• According to the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), the "defensive strikes", in which no civilians were reportedly injured, were carried out at the request of the Somali federal government while the Islamist extremists were attacking federal forces near Buulobarde, a town north of the capital Mogadishu.
• AFRICOM claimed the US airstrikes, reportedly the sixth this year, allowed the Somali National Army (SNA) and ATMIS forces to regain the initiative and continue the offensive against the jihadists. Mogadishu is also now said to be supporting clan-based militias, which analysts say could prove crucial in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
• The large-scale offensive in Somalia’s central Hiraan region is reportedly the largest operation by the SNA and the ATMIS against al-Shabaab in five years.
• Last week, Somali Pres. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who took office in June, met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington seeking continued US military support and emphasizing progress in the fight against the militant group.
• In late August, Somalia’s Pres. announced an "all-out war" against Al-Shabaab following a 30-hour hotel siege in Mogadishu which killed at least 21 people and injured more than a hundred others.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Washington Post, Long War Journal, Africa, and Defense Post.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global Times. The fact that Mogadishu has turned to the US, of all countries, for assistance in its fight against al-Shabaab is just another example of America's desire for regional dominance. It's certainly no coincidence that Washington decided in May to redeploy troops to Somalia under the guise of "fighting terrorism." In reality, Washington is primarily concerned with containing the growing influence of China, but also Russia, in this strategically important region.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Foreign Policy. After former Pres. Trump decided to withdraw US troops from Somalia, there was an uptick in terrorist violence. The fact that the Somali federal government is now making progress fighting al-Shabaab terrorists is also due to the return of US troops to the country and America's military cooperation with Mogadishu. Since al-Shabaab also poses a direct threat to the US itself, defeating the terrorists is also a matter of national security.