The Pentagon confirmed that U.S. forces bombed a location in Somalia on Monday, though spokesperson Rear Adm. John Kirby said the “results of the operation” were still being assessed and that additional information would only be provided to the public “as and when appropriate.”
Reuters reports:
According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon “did not say whether the operation was limited to drone strikes or whether U.S. commandos had been present on the ground.”
In its reporting, the Post speculated the target was different than the al Shabaab operative noted by Reuters, reporting:
Noting the vague and troubling posture of U.S. officials, journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted:
Last year, U.S. Special Force launched a raid to capture a high-level al-Shabaab commander but failed. As many critics have warned, the ongoing U.S. War on Terror, increasingly focused on Islamic militants in both east and west Africa, reveals the expanding and destabilizing footprint of the U.S. military on the contintent.
As part of its strategy, the U.S. has joined forces with France in establishment of a second airbase in Niger. As the Washington Post‘s Craig Whitlock reported on Monday, the base has now cleared final hurdles and is nearly up and running:
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