US declares parts of Somalia a war zone to wipe out militants

The US President Donald Trump has issued a directive that declares parts of Somalia a war-zone, giving the US military command in Africa greater leeway to launch strikes.

President Trump’s decision, which was signed on March 29, according to The New York Times, will now allow US military commanders under the United States Africa Command, greater flexibility to carry out offensive airstrikes and raids by ground troops against terrorists.

The directive comes barely a week after the top officer at Africa Command, Gen Thomas Waldhauser, said the White House was considering his request for more flexibility in operations against Al Shabaab militants.

With the request granted, parts Somalia is now an “area of active hostilities,” where war-zone targeting rules will apply for at least six months.

Gen Waldhauser had requested for an expanded authority to tackle the Somali militants.

“It’s important and helpful for us to have little more flexibility, a little bit more timeliness, in terms of decision-making as this will allow us to prosecute targets in a more rapid fashion,” Gen Waldhauser said during a press conference.

In 2013, former president Barack Obama imposed new standards for counter-terrorism strikes that saw commanders engage in high level multi-agency vetting of potential strikes for minimal or no civilian casualty predictions.

“The order to strike will not be given unless we know exactly whom we are attacking on the ground. It is our responsibility to ensure that we don’t have any civilian casualties, especially those moving out in search of food or water. We have to be very conscious about such possibilities while carrying out these operations,” Gen Waldhauser said.

Last month, a US airstrike accidentally killed dozens of Somali army soldiers who were mistaken for Al Shabaab militants, in an operation that is now under active investigation by Pentagon.

Last year, Mr Obama allowed the Africa Command to intensify its air strikes, bypassing the 2013 presidential orders, with the Pentagon justifying the raids under self-defence rules, including defending the Kenyan and Ugandan troops that are currently combatting Al Shabaab. The US has in the past three years intensified its raids against the Al Shabab militants, killing three of their leaders in a bid to cripple their operations.

According to the Pentagon, the US last year doubled its raids on Al Shabaab to 13 ground raids and airstrikes, up from five in 2015, killing more than 200 militants and 25 civilians.

In 2014, the highest civilian casualties from Al Shabab related attacks were recorded at 1,264, up from 808 the previous year. In 2015, 1,026 people lost their lives at the hands of the militants.

The US has over the years relied on the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), its own Special Operations Unit, ground attacks and drone strikes to carry out its operations against the Al Qaeda militants. Currently, there are close to 300 American Special Operations Forces believed to be working with both Amisom and the Somali army, carrying out dozens of these raids.

“We have a strong partnership with the Somali National Army and Amisom forces operating in Somalia. They have made steady progress pressuring Al Shabaab,” Peter Cook, the Department of Defence spokesman, said without going into details of how the US military is involved with these forces.

Last June, Mr Obama told Congress that the United States had become engaged in a more expansive mission in Somalia with the American forces now actively engaged in hunting down senior members of Al Shabaab.

“The American troops are in Somalia to provide advice and assistance to regional counter terrorism forces, including the Somali National Army and African Union Mission in Somalia forces,” Mr Obama had said.

American Marines and private military contractor, Bancroft Global Development have been working to build an elite unit of the Somalia National Army at the Baledogle military base.