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.
To Replace Lost MQ-9s, USAF Eyes Next-Gen Reaper
May 13, 2026
The Air Force is looking at ways to rapidly replace some of the roughly two dozen MQ-9A Reaper drones it has lost as part of operations against Iran, top service officials told lawmakers May 12.