US attacks on Somalia's al-Shabab increase under Trump

2019-01-08 04:48:05

Al-Shabab remains in control of large parts of central and southern Somalia despite US airstrikes Donald Trump's presidency has coincided with a sharp rise in US-led airstrikes in Somalia and the trend is set to continue in 2019. In a speech in December outlining the US' Africa policy, President Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton said "terrorists operating in Africa have... repeatedly targeted US citizens and interests". He gave the impression that there would be no let up in the struggle against militant Islamist groups, such as the Somalia-based al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda. In March 2017, the Pentagon received White House approval to expand its fight against the militants in the Horn of Africa nation. Commanders now no longer require high-level vetting to approve strikes on al-Shabab in "areas of active hostilities" in Somalia. "It allows [us] to prosecute targets in a more rapid fashion," said General Thomas Walhauser of US Africa Command (Africom).BBC