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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Mark Townsend

Why is the US bombing Somalia – and who are the airstrikes killing?

US military personnel sit at desks with multiple laptops and large wall-mounted screens displaying military imagery and logos
The US military’s special operations control centre in Mogadishu, Somalia, where they oversee operations and drone activities against al-Shabaab. Photograph: Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images

The Trump administration is engaged in a covert, legally ambiguous but increasingly aggressive military campaign in Somalia. But as the US ramps up its attacks, it is becoming harder to follow who is actually being killed.

Officials have stopped publishing detailed data on casualty figures from US airstrikes in the Horn of Africa. At the same time, the number of attacks on targets in Somalia has soared to record levels.

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