U.S. service member killed in Somalia during an operation against al-Shabab

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post




By Missy Ryan May 5 at 8:33 AM

An American service member was killed during an operation against al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia, the U.S. military said on Friday.

The incident on Thursday, which took place 40 miles west of the capital Mogadishu in an area called Barii, was a part of an intensified American effort to help Somali forces beat back the extremist group al-Shabab.

“U.S. forces are assisting partner forces to counter al-Shabab in Somalia to degrade the al-Qaeda affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America,” U.S. Africa Command said in a statement.

###



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/05/05/u-s-service-member-killed-in-somalia-during-an-operation-against-al-shabab/?utm_term=.ee3f50d9cacf&wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-world%252Bnation&wpmk=1#comments

[heaven05]

1. and.......

the casualties will mount....soon rather than later....a nazi style "polish border incident" is on the way.

[democrank]

2. Rest in peace.

Last edited Fri May 5, 2017, 05:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Home soon, I hope.

[nyabingi]

3. Why are we even still in Somalia

or anywhere in Africa for that matter?

Well, we're told there are terrorist groups there (al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, etc.), but what threat are they to the US? Did the Somali government request our help and the presence of our troops, or did they have a say in the matter at all?

We need to stop accepting these weak excuses from our government officials when they know we are only there to protect the strategic interests of the elites and their corporations. Our ramped up military presence on the African continent was started under W., expanded under Obama, and continues to increase under Trump.

We use and abuse the lives of US soldiers for know necessary reasons at all.

[IronLionZion]

4. This article answers some of your questions:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/politics/us-military-member-killed-somalia/

The US troops were part of an ongoing US military program to advise and assist Somali ground forces. The mission was not part of the stepped-up effort in Somalia to conduct airstrikes and ground missions against terror targets.

"This was an operation targeting an al Shabaab group that had been associated with attacks on US, Somali and AMISOM forces," US Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Friday, referring to the African Union mission there.

"US forces are assisting partner forces to counter al Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the al Qaeda affiliate's ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America," according to a news release from US Africa Command.

US Africa Command announced last month that it was sending sending "dozens" of additional troops to Somalia to train and equip the Somali National Army and the forces participating in the African Union Mission there.

[EX500rider]

5. "they know we are only there to protect the strategic interests of the elites and their corporations

...lol, good one, just what "Corporate interests" do you think the US has in Somalia?

And no, there is no "planned pipeline"...lol (that's the standard go to)

[Eugene]

6. U.S. Navy SEAL killed in Somalia raid on militant compound

Source: Reuters

U.S. | Fri May 5, 2017 | 2:45pm EDT

U.S. Navy SEAL killed in Somalia raid on militant compound

By Phil Stewart and Abdi Sheikh | WASHINGTON/MOGADISHU

A U.S. Navy SEAL was killed and two troops wounded in a raid on an al Shabaab militant compound in Somalia, U.S. officials said on Friday, in what appeared to be the first U.S. combat death in the African country since the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" disaster.

The White House has granted the U.S. military broader authority to carry out strikes in Somalia against al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, the latest sign President Donald Trump is increasing U.S. military engagement in the region.

Still, U.S. participation in the Somalia-led assault was carried out under authorities in place for years, the Pentagon said. The targets were al Shabaab fighters tied to attacks.

"The objective was a compound and a group of people ... associated with attacks against U.S., Somalia and AMISOM forces," said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis, referring to African Union Mission in Somalia peacekeepers.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-security-usa-idUSKBN1811DV

[Eugene]

7. Defense Department identifies Navy SEAL killed in Somalia

Source: CNN

Defense Department identifies Navy SEAL killed in Somalia

By Barbara Starr and Miranda Green, CNN
Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT) May 6, 2017

Washington (CNN) - A Navy SEAL who was killed in an operation against terrorist group al-Shabaab in Somalia earlier this week has been identified by the Department of Defense as Kyle Milliken, 38, of Falmouth, Maine..

Milliken, a senior chief special warfare operator, was killed Thursday in a remote area of Somalia 40 miles west of Mogadishu when he and other troops came under small-arms fire.

Milliken was a member of SEAL Team Six, a defense official confirmed to CNN. The elite special operations unit, which led the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, was on a scheduled deployment to East Africa for training and carrying out counterterrorism missions. The target in Somalia was a local al-Shabaab leader who had been involved in planning attacks against facilities used by US and African forces in Somalia.

Milliken was on a mission advising Somali National Army forces.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/06/politics/dod-navy-seal-identified/