A suspected al Shabaab associate who once lived in the US was arrested during a mission in Somalia, a US Africa Command spokesperson told AP. It was a Somali-led mission with “limited tactical advisory support” from the US, spokesperson Jennifer Dyrcz said.

The suspect, identified as Abdirizak Tahlil, was accused of “facilitating the use of improvised explosive devices in Somalia” and was being held by the Somali government, Dyrcz added. He had reportedly been granted status as a lawful US permanent resident and had lived in the country between 2006 and 2009.

Somalia Newsroom said it was reportedly a “joint” operation between Somali intelligence agents and Puntland and Galmudug forces, with tactical advisory support from the US.

Four other al Shabaab suspects were arrested in Galcayo, Somalia Newsroom added. However it noted that some local reports were claiming that Abdirizak’s brother – a Galmudug politician – alongside a Galmandug security official, were insisting Abdirizak Tahlil was innocent, blaming Puntland forces and the US for his arrest. Tensions had increased between the two regions following a US strike in September 2016 which killed up to 22 members of local friendly  Galmudug forces. The region’s officials claimed that Puntland had given incorrect information to the US, causing the strike.

Somalia Newsroom noted that Abdirizak was however sentenced to death by a Puntland military court in 2013 for possession of explosive material, but was allegedly released after a new regional president agreed to a prisoner swap.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

US and Somali special forces carried out a night raid on an al Shabaab-held village in southern Somalia, the district commissioner and a senior Somali intelligence official told reporters. It was the second US operation in the village in two weeks. “Several al-Shabaab fighters” are thought to have been killed according to NBC.

Two helicopters inserted the troops into the village where they engaged a small number of reported al Shabaab fighters, a senior Somali intelligence official told Associated Press. The official said a detention centre was targeted in the raid, although the US said “this information is incorrect”.

“The special forces of Danab and US troops landed in Kuunyo Barow and destroyed an al Shabaab base in the area,” the district commissioner told Dalsan Radio.

The US also carried out an air strike in this area on July 2nd, killing one al Shabaab fighter, AFRICOM confirmed in a July 20th email.

The only connection between that operation and the July 12th raid was that “both targeted al-Shabaab terrorists,” AFRICOM told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ). “US forces, in cooperation with the Government of Somalia, are conducting ongoing operations against al Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the al-Qaeda affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks.”

AFRICOM said US troops were involved in the July 12th operation but that no air strike took place. A spokesperson told BIJ, by email, that “US forces conducted an advise and assist mission against al Shabaab with members of the Somali National Army July 12 [July 13 local time] in Kunyo Barrow, Somalia.”

“Advise and assist” missions involve US special forces soldiers accompanying local troops on operations though Africom maintains the American personnel do not actually engage in combat.

“US forces are assisting partner forces to counter al Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the al Qaeda affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America,” the spokesperson added.

The incident occured around dawn.