US Strikes Somalia

It seems that the United States peace in Somalia came to an end this past weekend when a Reaper drone was launched from an air base in Djibouti. Aimed at the Shabab militant group, which has close with Al-Qaeda, the Hellfire missiles that were dropped killed eight militants and no civilians according to reports released since the incident.

This response, which was carried out with the assistance of other nations in the area, was declared self-defense by the Pentagon’s spokeswoman, Dana W. White. This is one attack though is not expected to be the last. Trump recently lifted many of the limits placed on counterterror attacks in the region. Now, such measures such as interagency approval and little to no threat of civilian death, are not as strict and binding as they once were.

Even with these restrictions, the head of African Command, General Thomas D. Waldhauser, still stands by the statute that requires certainty of minimal civilian deaths.

It has been two and a half months since Trump weakened the status regarding attacks in Somalia, but this attack did more than just set a precedent of what is to come, it also will greatly affect Shabab and their ability to function. Many have said that this attack has essentially destroyed the city that they were based in. The city that was the center of all of their operations.

Their reasoning for basing themselves just outside of Sakow was because of the restrictions that the Obama administration placed on Somalia. This nation was viewed as a safe haven for the terrorists so by setting up camp there, they were able to easily avoid any risk of action taken against them by any major world power. One such example was the injuring of two US SEALs and the killing of another just one month ago, which was the first US death in Somalia since the “Black Hawk Down” incident in 1993.

No longer will they be able to hide in Somalia. With the US-led coalition against terrorism finally starting to shake form and real action, almost nowhere will be safe for a militant organization like Shabab.

Not only is the coalition dangerous, but the United States can be much more dangerous as well. They now have fewer restrictions on them which will allow the United States to take much more drastic action if they so choose.

Last year the United States killed 150 newly graduated al-Shabab fighters. Sunday another eight were added onto that title. The United States is effectively targeting the group’s recruitment, training, and plotting process to weaken the terrorist organization from the inside out. If the current trend is to continue, Shabab will not be a threat for much longer.