US launches second air strike in a week targeting Al-Shabaab in Somalia

The US military conducted anairstrikeinSomaliaon Friday against Al Qaeda affiliatedAl-Shabaabjihadists, thesecondin four days after a six-month hiatus, the Pentagon said.

The US military command for Africa (AFRICOM), "conducted an airstrike againstAl-Shabaabin the vicinity of Qeycad" in Galmudug province 300 miles (500 kilometers) north of the capital Mogadishu, Pentagon spokeswoman Cindi King told AFP.

Thestrikewas carried out by a drone and there were no US forces on the ground, King said, adding no further details could be provided.

Thestrikewas thesecondcarried out by the US military inSomaliain aweek, and only thesecondunder US President Joe Biden, who took office in January this year.

On Tuesday, AFRICOM targetedAl-Shabaabjihadists near Galkayo, northwest of Qeycad.

As soon as Biden arrived at the White House, he limited the use of drones against jihadist groups outside US theatresof war.

That reversed the policy of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had given the military carte blanche in countries such asSomaliaand Libya.

King noted "US forces are authorised to conduct strikes in support of combatant commander-designated partner forces under the 2001 AUMF," referring to the Authorisation for the Use of Military Force, whose authority US presidents have relied on to launch operations against armed Islamist groups.

Last month, the US House of Representatives voted to repeal a 2002 use-of-force measure that gave the US military the legal authority to invade Iraq and has since been used to justify military action against groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Supporters of repealing the 2002 AUMF argue it has long outlived its purpose and that Congress should reclaim its war-making powers.

No elected officials have indicated there is any immediate plan to reverse the 2001 measure.

Defence Department spokesman John Kirby said lastweekthat AFRICOM commander General Stephen Townsend has "the authority to act in defense of our forces and our Somali partners."

The recent strikes "underscore the threat thatAl Shabaabposes inSomalia, and in certainly the Horn of Africa," Kirby said.

"That threat remains significant, and we're going to continue to be vigilant about it."

Drone strikes had multiplied during Trump's term, going from 11 inSomaliain 2015, to 64 in 2019 and 54 in 2020, according to the non-governmental group Airwars, which monitors civilian deaths in bombings around the world.

Just before he left office, Trump ordered the withdrawal of some 700 special forces soldiers who were deployed inSomaliato train and advise the Somali army.