Source: Wikipedia Commons /  American drones such as the remotely piloted General Atomics MQ-1 Predator,  have been used primarily by the United States Air Force for counter-terror airstrikes in the Horn-of-African nation Somalia.

By Gary Raynaldo         DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The Pentagon has acknowledged that a US military strike in Somalia more than a year ago killed two civilians and injured three more.  Many accuse the US of playing down and/or disputing civilian deaths.  US Africa Command (Africom) made the surprise admission Monday concerning civilian casualties in its campaign against al-Shabaab, an extremist group in Somalia. As part of the command’s commitment to transparency, Africom is implementing a quarterly report on the status of ongoing and completed civilian casualty allegations and assessments. It is only the second time in recent years Africom has admitted civilian casualties in Somalia in association with airstrikes. 

“Regarding the February 23, 2019 strike, we assess that it is likely that two civilians were regrettably and unintentionally killed and three were injured as a result of the airstrike that also killed two al-Shabaab terrorists who were the intended targets.”

-General  Stephen Townsend, Africom’s top officer said in the report.

Until this week, Africom has steadfastly disputed reports that civilians had been killed in US airstrikes and raids in Somalia during the past decade.

“There Is No Secret Air or Shadow War as Some Allege”   -General Townsend

Credit: africom.mil / U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command meets with Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré Sept. 17, 2019 during a visit to Burkina Faso.

“There is no secret air or shadow war as some allege,” said Townsend. “How can there be when the whole world knows we are assisting Somalia in their fight against al-Shabaab terrorists? When we publically announce every single airstrike we conduct? When we publically admit to our mistakes? Unlike al-Shabaab we do everything in our power to avoid civilian casualties and that is not changing on my watch.”

The US has been conducting air attack in Somalia for years to help defeat extremist group al-Shabab, which seeks to topple Somalia’s western-backed central government and set up its own rule based on strict interpretation of the Islamic sharia law.

Amnesty International Report Says Civilian Death toll in US strikes at 14 since 2017 in Somalia

Amnesty International released a report last year titled “The Hidden U.S. War in Somalia” putting the civilian death toll in US strikes at 14 since 2017 in Somalia alone.

While the US military maintains there is no “secret war” in Somalia, Amnesty International has accused the US of covering up civilian deaths.

“Civilian casualties continue to mount from the US military’s secret air war in Somalia, with no justice or reparation for the victims of possible violations of international humanitarian law, Amnesty International warned as it released details of two more deadly air strikes so far this year in a report released Apr. 1, 2020.

“US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has conducted hundreds of air strikes in the decade-long fight against the armed group Al-Shabaab, but has only admitted to killing civilians in a single strike that took place exactly two years ago today. This lone admission was prompted by Amnesty International’s research and advocacy.”

-Amnesty International