US and Somalia forces come under attack during operation against Al Shabaab

Somali National Army soldiers march during the 57th Anniversary of the Somali National Army held at the Ministry of defence in Mogadishu on April 12, 2017. AMISOM Photo / Ilyas Ahmed

BY:

U.S. and Somali forces came under attack during an operation against the al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab in central Somalia, U.S. Africa Command said.

A Somali soldier was killed and two others injured in the attack, which occurred on Wednesday, September 11 in the village of Mubaraak, approximately 37 miles west of the capital Mogadishu, Africom said on Thursday.

U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in response to the attack, killing two al-Shabaab fighters and injuring another. No U.S. personnel were killed or injured, the command said.

Al-Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu but has also carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya, which has deployed troops as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Africom works with AMISOM on both advise-and-assist missions as well as air support missions to target al-Shabaab’s forces but has drawn controversy from strikes that have killed civilians.