On January 21st, 2024, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted a drone strike against the Al-Shabaab militant group 35 kilometers northeast of the city of Kismayo in the Lower Juba region of Somalia, reportedly killing three militants. To date, there have been no reports of civilian casualties in connection to the strike.<\/p>\n
Two days later, on the 23rd of January, AFRICOM released a statement on the strike: \u201cat the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense airstrike with two engagements against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group on Jan. 21\u201d. The statement added that after an initial assessment, it was judged that \u201cno civilians were injured or killed\u201d by the airstrike and that three Al-Shabaab militants had been killed.<\/p>\n
The Long War Journal published an online article, written by Bill Rodrigo and Caleb Weiss, dated January 23rd, which stated that the attack had specifically been a drone strike and observed that the attack was the first declared US drone strike in Somalia in 2024. The Long War Journal noted that \u201cneither AFRICOM, the U.S. military command responsible for such strikes, nor Somalia itself have confirmed the exact coordinates\u201d\u00a0of the strike.<\/p>\n
Additionally, a report from Associated Press (AP) written by Omar Faruk on January 23rd, reported that there had been \u201cno immediate response\u201d from Al-Shabaab concerning the strike. Furthermore, Garowe Online on January 24th, stated that the militants killed were \u201cnot notorious\u201d but that the strike had been carried out \u201cfor defense purposes\u201d\u00a0in coordination with the Somali National Army 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