The Reaper dropped multiple Hellfire missiles on the Shabab camp, which American military surveillance aircraft had been monitoring for months. “The terror organization has taken advantage of safe haven,” the Africa Command statement said. Soon after Mr. Trump took office, the Defense Department proposed a further escalation. Africa Command officials justified the strike, which they undertook without going through the 2013 process, as a matter of self-defense, saying they believed the militants intended to attack a peacekeeping base. Against that backdrop, months passed without Africa Command carrying out strikes under the new authorities — a surprising forbearance that seemingly came to an end on Sunday.

Source: New York Times June 11, 2017 18:57 UTC