AFRICOM commander arrives in Somalia as airstrikes against violent extremists rise

MOGADISHU- CBA TV – U.S. Africa Command commander Army Gen. Stephen Townsend has arrived in Somalia and visited U.S. troops and other global leaders — a move that comes amid a slight uptick in airstrikes against violent extremists in Somalia this year.

The purpose of his engagements is to meet with important African, international and U.S. key leaders, to visit US troops and to assess the progress of the US campaign in East Africa and against al-Shabaab,”

Townsend, who had headed the command since July, said in a statement.
Townsend had headed the command since July was slated to visit Somali President Mohamed Abdullah Farmaajo today, according to AFRICOM. He visited Djibouti on Monday.

Townsend claimed that violent extremist groups, including al-Shabab, an al-Qaida offshoot, and ISIS-Somalia, aim to target the U.S., and pose a threat to U.S. interests and African partners.

So far, AFRICOM has conducted 55 airstrikes in 2019 against violent extremist organizations — an increase from the 47 airstrikes conducted in 2018 and 35 airstrikes in 2017.

The command estimates that there are between 5,000 to 7,000 al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia, and approximately 150 to 300 ISIS-Somalia militants.
The number of al-Shabaab militants has remained relatively stable, but their hold on territory has significantly declined according to the US and The loss of ground equates to loss of ability to influence and negatively impact more innocent Somali futures.

Airstrikes conducted against the militants are designed to foster organizational discord and “afford time and space for advancements in security, governance and economic development.

Approximately 650 to 800 U.S. forces are in Somalia at any given time. A key responsibility for AFRICOM forces is instructing and building ground forces, including the Somali special operations unit called the Danab.

According to AFRICOM, Somali military forces have been successful in keeping the territory seized from al-Shabab and likewise fending off al-Shabab counter attacks. These successful seizures from Somalia’s government and partner forces have led to gathering important intelligence that aids future efforts, he said.

AFRICOM has been involved training approximately 1,000 out of 3,000 planned special operations Danab troops.