This morning I wondered where US airstrikes were falling in Somalia this year.— Ben Watson (@natsecwatson) November 15, 2017
So I took a look — https://t.co/vPSpjVD0nS — with the help of data from @USAfricaCommand, @criticalthreats, and @MicahZenko to find a sharp escalation since August, particularly in the Bay Region: http://pic.twitter.com/miyHRroVXc
Task & Purpose/Stars and Stripes: The DoD Is Quietly Turning Up The Heat On Al-Shabab In Somalia
There are now 500 U.S. troops in Somalia, where the military has carried out daily airstrikes in the past week, but the Department of Defense refuses to call it a buildup.
“I would not associate that with a buildup, as you’re calling it,” Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie told reporters at the Pentagon on Nov. 16. “I think it’s just the flow of forces in and out as different organizations come in that might be sized a little differently.”
McKenzie said the boost in attacks was simply a matter of hitting targets as they emerge. “So there’s no particular rhythm to it, except that as they become available and as we’re able to process them and vet them, we strike them,” he said.
Read more ....
Update: Under Trump, The Pentagon Has Been Quietly Escalating Its Presence In Somalia (Buzzfeed)
WNU Editor: 500 U.S. military personnel are now in Somalia .... that is not a small contingent. Bur Somalia is not the only place in Africa that U.S. military operations are ramping up .... US launches Libya drone strike as Africa operations appear to ramp up (FOX News).
