Changing Tactics in Somalia

Al Shabaab fighters are changing their tactics and mode of operations in the face of growing attacks on their forces, including US airstrikes. Al Shabaab has started training large forces in one site, and then immediately attacking a forward operating base of African Union Mission to Somalia forces, which have caused the loss of “significant people,” said Army Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of US Africa Command, in a Thursday briefing at the Pentagon. US aircraft have repeatedly hammered al Shabaab fighters in Somalia, including a March 31 strike that killed senior leader Hassan Ali Dhoore and a March 5 strike on a training camp. Al Shabaab is gathering and training a “significant number of people” and then dispersing for an attack, limiting the time to target them. Rodriguez has said continued strikes are possible in Somalia to combat the growth of al Shabaab in the country.