The U.S. military command in Africa has said it conducted an airstrike in central Somalia that killed five al-Shabab militants. AFRICOM said the strike was in support of Somali National Army forces fighting al-Shabab. In August 2022, the Somali army, supported by self-mobilized local fighters, launched a military offensive that seized parts of central Somalia from the militant group. "We are expecting something that would take Somalia up to 2027 when Somalia believes we can take over to fund our security forces completely," Ali said. The United States, Turkey, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates are among the nations training the Somali National Army.

Source: Ethiopian News July 20, 2023 16:25 UTC