AFRICOM says U.S. troops take indirect fire near Kismayo, Somalia; no casualties reported
What we know
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U.S. forces in southern Somalia came under indirect fire near the port city of Kismayo on Friday, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said, reporting no injuries or damage. “U.S. and African partner forces took indirect fire near Kismayo, Somalia today. No U.S. injuries or casualties reported. No reports of damage to the base or Coalition property at this time,” the command said in a brief statement posted on its official X account.
Indirect fire typically means rockets or mortars launched from a distance—attacks designed to harass, unsettle, and test defenses rather than overrun a position. AFRICOM did not say who fired or from where, and no further operational details were released.
Competing claims
The al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group al-Shabab claimed responsibility through its media channels, alleging it targeted Kismayo’s airport, where U.S. personnel are believed to operate alongside Somali forces. The group—known for exaggerating battlefield claims—asserted the strike caused American casualties and framed it as retaliation for what it called U.S.-backed Israeli operations in Gaza. None of those claims could be independently verified.
The role of Gaza in militant propaganda has been increasingly visible across territories where jihadist groups operate. From North and West Africa to the Horn, armed factions have plugged local violence into a broader narrative, seeking to galvanize recruits and legitimize attacks by tying them to events far beyond their borders.
Why Kismayo matters
Kismayo sits on Somalia’s southern coastline, a bustling port city once used by al-Shabab to tax supply routes and export illicit charcoal before Somali and Kenyan forces, operating under the African Union banner, drove the militants out in 2012. Today, it is a hub for Somali security forces and international partners, including the United States, which has maintained several hundred troops in the country to advise, train, and provide intelligence support against al-Shabab and the smaller ISIS-Somalia faction.
U.S.-trained Somali units, notably the Danab “Lightning” Brigade, have been spearheading operations in Jubbaland, the region around Kismayo. The area remains contested, with al-Shabab able to move men and weapons through rural corridors, mount complex ambushes, and launch indirect-fire harassment at fortified positions. The city itself—heavily guarded and politically pivotal—acts as a staging ground for Somali-led offensives and for U.S. counterterrorism support, including occasional airstrikes.
While American casualties in Somalia are rare, the threat is not abstract. In 2018, a U.S. soldier was killed by indirect fire during a mission with Somali and Kenyan forces south of Kismayo, a reminder of the hazards that persist even away from frontline skirmishes.
A wider battlefield: strikes against ISIS-Somalia
Friday’s attack came the same week AFRICOM announced a series of airstrikes targeting ISIS-Somalia in the Golis Mountains, a rugged range about 50 kilometers southwest of Bossaso in the country’s northeast. The command said strikes conducted on August 31, September 1, and September 2 were coordinated with Somalia’s federal government and aimed at degrading the group’s ability to plan and carry out attacks against Somali targets, U.S. forces, and American citizens abroad. AFRICOM withheld specifics on units and assets for operational security.
ISIS-Somalia is dwarfed by al-Shabab in numbers and reach but has carved out pockets of influence in Puntland State’s highlands, periodically clashing with al-Shabab and security forces. It survives through smuggling routes, extortion, and affiliations with ISIS networks abroad. The Golis terrain—dry, steep, and dotted with caves—has historically offered militants refuge from ground operations, making precision strikes and local intelligence critical.
The regional picture
Somalia’s fight against al-Shabab has swung between government offensives and militant counterpunches. A recent push by Somali forces in central regions, backed by local militias, met initial success before stalling under the weight of insurgent IEDs and ambushes. As the African Union’s mission continues its phased drawdown, the pressure on Somalia’s army to hold and govern retaken territory grows more acute. The United States’ role—advising elite units, enabling intelligence, and conducting occasional strikes—remains a force multiplier, but it cannot substitute for sustained local governance or security gains.
Attacks like Friday’s tend to test the perimeter rather than shift the war’s center of gravity. Still, they raise urgent questions: How resilient are the defenses around key hubs like Kismayo? Can Somali forces protect population centers as international missions scale back? And do episodic airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia and al-Shabab meaningfully slow recruitment, or do they risk dispersing fighters into smaller, harder-to-track cells?
Signals amid the noise
Al-Shabab’s attempt to link the Kismayo volley to Gaza plays into a broader strategy: framing a local insurgency as part of a global struggle to tap into grievance and attention. The group has used similar narratives in past statements, while continuing its core operations—taxation rackets, targeted assassinations, and attacks against Somali government and security targets—that are focused inward.
For Washington, transparency around engagements in Somalia has improved in recent years, with AFRICOM typically acknowledging strikes and reporting civilian harm assessments. Even so, information gaps persist immediately after incidents, especially those involving indirect fire, when both sides rush to define the story. The fog of conflict—geography, access, and propagandistic claims—still shapes what the world sees.
What to watch
U.S. and Somali authorities will likely examine the origin point of the fire, the type of munitions used, and whether the attack was opportunistic or part of a broader pattern around Kismayo’s security footprint. In the coming days, observers will watch for:
- Any follow-on strikes or raids by Somali and partner forces in Jubbaland.
- Further AFRICOM updates, including damage assessments or changes in posture.
- Al-Shabab propaganda follow-ups seeking to amplify Friday’s attack.
- Continued pressure on ISIS-Somalia in the northeast and any retaliatory moves.
For Kismayo’s residents, who have lived through years of shifting front lines, the thud of a distant round is an uneasy reminder that the war remains close, despite new hotels along the waterfront and container ships docking at the port. Somalia’s challenge is not just to repel incoming fire but to harden the peace—building roads, schools, and trust in places where the state arrives too thin and too late. That is the work that outlasts any single shot fired in the dark.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
