In Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, residents live in fear of deadly attacks carried out by the al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab terrorist group. Its latest attack killed 32 people and wounded 63 in a beach hotel in Mogadishu on August 3.
But African Stream, a popular online publication registered in the U.K. as owned by Ahmed Kaballo, a former contributor of the Iranian state-owned Press TV, distorted the U.S. role in combating al-Shabab in Somalia.
In a resent post on X, the African Stream shared a collage showing former American presidents George W. Bush, a Republican, and Barak Obama, a Democrat, with a caption reading: “U.S. Bipartisan bombing of Somalia.”
In a comment to the poster, the African Stream said that for Africa there is no difference which of the two contenders, Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris, wins the 2024 presidential election in the United States.
“It is now a bipartisan tradition for each new U.S. president, whether Republican or Democrat, to rain drone bombs down on the East African country in which millions of civilians are simply struggling to survive.”
That is false.
The U.S. conducts drone strikes in Somalia to protect civilians from the terrorists. Groups such as al-Shabab terrorize communities and entire regions, systematically targeting, killing and harming scores of civilians.
Created in 2006, al-Shabab has since become one of the most brutal and predatory terrorist organizations on the African continent.
The group is responsible for suicide and ground bomb attacks that deliberately target civilians, including political and religious figures, rights and aid activists, and journalists. It has killed thousands in Somalia. Al-Shabab has also conducted multiple high-profile terrorist attacks in Kenya and Uganda.
In two attacks in Kenya in 2013 and 2014, the group’s militants massacred at least 217 college students and other civilians.
AFRICOM operates in Somalia at the request of the nation’s government and in support of Somali National Army’s fight against al-Shabab. One drone strike in 2014 killed the group’s leader, Ahmed Godane.
Since 2020, after a series of accusations of civilian casualties, the U.S. implemented strict transparency and accountability policy for its military operations, including in Africa.
Anyone could report civilian casualties using a public form provided on the Pentagon’s website.
Additionally, the U.S. African Command, AFRICOM, monitors social media and news reports for any mention of civilian casualties attributed to the U.S. Those reports are thoroughly investigated and, if confirmed, AFRICOM publishes the information about them in its quarterly Civilian Harm Report.
Since 2020, AFRICOM said its drone attacks killed 3 civilians and injured 11 others in Somalia.
Most importantly, the African Stream’s claim is false because the U.S. does not intentionally target civilians. Contrary to that statement, the U.S. takes measures to avoid causing harm and protect the civilian population.
AFRICOM publishes on its website a list of drone strikes it has conducted, including the times and the locations of the attacks and the details about the Somalian government’s requests for drone support.
The U.S. has pledged military support to the Somalia government, which includes drone attacks, intelligence support and training of the Somalian army in the fight against the terrorist group.
Contrary to the African Stream’s accusations, the U.S. is not ignorant to the struggle of millions of Somalians — for decades, the United States remains the largest donor to Somalia in humanitarian crises, conflict, climate change, public health and economic development.
When Somalia was battling the worst famine in 2022, the United States provided $1.3 billion of life-saving assistance to Somalia.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States provided more than $500 million in direct security assistance to Somali forces between 2010 and 2020.
