TheCable

A US service member has been killed in Somalia during a Somali-led mission against the al-Shabaab militant group, military officials said on Friday.

The US Africa Command said the service member died on Thursday while US forces were advising and assisting a Somali national army operation about 40 miles (60 km) west of Mogadishu near Barii, Somalia.

“US forces were conducting an advise and assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army,” it said in a statement.

“US forces are assisting partner forces to counter al-Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the al Qaeda affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America.”

A Mogadishu-based security source told Reuters that the two other US servicemen were wounded during the operation when US troops were hunting an al Shabaab commander near the Shabelle river,

“There were no casualties among the Somali special forces,” he said.

Al-Shabaab wants to overthrow the weak Western-backed Somali government and impose its own strict brand of Islamic law.

Somalia has been torn apart by civil war since 1991 when clan-based warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other.