A U.S. Marine Killed During Operation Against Somali Extremists

The U.S. military announced on Friday, May 5, that a U.S. Marine was killed during an operation against the extremist Islamist group al-Shabaab in Somalia. This is the first instance of an American military death in Somalia since 1993. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Africa Command stated that the Marine died Thursday night during an operation near "Bari," 64 kilometers west of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Two other American soldiers were also injured in this operation. The statement adds that the U.S. military is on a mission to provide advice and assistance to the Somali army. Both the U.S. and Somali armies have reported new efforts against the extremist group al-Shabaab in recent weeks. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has approved the expansion of military operations against this group, which includes airstrikes against their positions and declaring parts of southern Somalia as active conflict zones. A Somali security official confirmed the U.S. military operation, stating that American forces attacked an al-Shabaab hideout near the capital using helicopters and engaged in combat with the group's militants. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he added that U.S. helicopters dropped soldiers near the village of Dar es Salaam to capture or kill the extremist militants in the area. This Somali official reported heavy resistance from the militants against the soldiers. Mohamed Abdullahi, the Somali-American President of Somalia, launched a new operation against al-Shabaab last month, claiming that they have been involved in multiple attacks in the eastern United States. The U.S. military also reported last month that it is deploying a number of its troops to Somalia, which is unprecedented in the Horn of Africa in the last two decades. The U.S. Africa Command stated that the deployment of military forces to this region is for training the Somali army. In response to these movements, al-Shabaab announced that it would intensify its operations. The Associated Press notes that the Somali army is under significant pressure to take full control of the country before the withdrawal of peacekeeping forces at the end of 2020.