US airstrike kills more than 100 al-Shabaab militants in Somalia

US airstrikes in Somalia have killed more than 100 Al-Shabaab militants, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced. It is the biggest in a series of 29 airstrikes acknowledged by the Pentagon so far.

More than 100 al-Shabaab militants were killed Tuesday in a US airstrike on a camp in Somalia, US Africa Command said in a statement, the latest in a series of strikes against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group and ISIS fighters in the war-torn country.

The airstrikes were carried out about 125 miles away from the capital city of Mogadishu at 10:30 am local time, the Pentagon said in a statement. The strike was done in coordination with Somalia's federal government.

The Defense Department now has 500 personnel in Somalia including military, civilians and contractors, more than double the 200 personnel that had been reported to be in Somalia in March 2017, according to US Africa Command.

The personnel are part of the effort to support African forces fighting al-Shabaab as well as ISIS forces there. While estimates have fluctuated over time, the US now estimates there are between 3,000 and 6,000 al-Shabaab fighters and less than 250 ISIS operatives in Somalia.

The administration of President Donald Trump has given field commanders more authority to use force in combating terrorists. As a result, AFRICOM has been able to employ “precision airstrikes” in support of Somali and African Union troops (AMISOM), battling Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups. Previously, airstrikes were authorized only in self-defense of US forces.

The Pentagon has publicly acknowledged 29 airstrikes in Somalia this year. Seven of those strikes took place between November 9 and November 14.

Al-Shabaab is an al-Qaeda linked terrorist group responsible for attacks across the country in an effort to depose the western-backed Federal Government of Somalia.