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By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com
US troops and allied forces in Kismayo, southern Somalia, came under “indirect fire” on September 4, US Africa Command said in a press release.
The press release came after al-Shabaab said it attacked Kismayo’s airport, where US personnel are based, according to Somali media. Al-Shabaab claimed that it killed and wounded American troops, but AFRICOM denied that there were any casualties.
“There were no US or partner force injuries or casualties as a result of the attack, and no damage to the base or coalition property has been reported,” AFRICOM said. “Al-Shabaab routinely disseminates false and exaggerated claims regarding attacks to undermine public trust. These claims should be treated with skepticism.”
The US military is known to coordinate airstrikes against al-Shabaab from the base in Kismayo, which is located in Jubaland, Somalia’s southernmost region, which has a significant al-Shabaab presence. In June of this year, the US Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa said US Army engineers were enhancing security at the US base in Kismayo.
While the US and al-Shabaab have been at war for nearly two decades, al-Shabaab cited US support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza as the reason for the attack. Back in 2020, al-Shabaab attacked a US base across the border in Kenya, killing one US soldier and two American contractors.
The attack in Kismayo comes as the US has launched a record number of airstrikes in Somalia this year and has supported US-backed government forces and African Union troops in major battles against al-Shabaab. The US has been fighting against al-Shabaab since the group first emerged in 2007 following the US-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia that ousted the Islamic Courts Union, which briefly held power in Mogadishu.
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Dave DeCamp
Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.