An airstrike from both manned and unmanned US aircraft on Saturday destroyed an al Shabaab training camp inside Somalia, reportedly killing 150 fighters. The airstrike targeted Raso Camp, an al Shabaab training facility about 120 miles north of Mogadishu. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement the fighters “were scheduled to depart the camp” and posed an imminent threat to both US and African Union forces. Intelligence on the camp showed the fighters sought to embark “on missions that would impact us and our partners,” said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on Monday. “The removal of these fighters degrades al-Shabaab’s ability to meet the group’s objectives in Somalia, including recruiting new members, establishing bases, and planning attacks on US and AMISOM [African Union Mission to Somalia] forces,” Cook said.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
