Biden forced to launch first air strike in Somalia targeting Al-Shabaab jihadis amid massive terror surge across Africa
PRESIDENT Joe Biden was forced to order his first air strike on Jihadi targets in Somalia amid a worrying rise in terror attacks across Africa.
US fighter jets bombed al-Shabaab strongholds in the country's west on Tuesday in a bid to stop Islamists waging terror campaigns across the region.
"There was never a plan for the dictator of the group meeting his demise. It appears there will now be a chaotic period."
Reports claim some Boko members have disbanded or switched allegiance, but at least one faction is staying loyal to the late leader.
Experts say they could join forces with other Islamist groups and wage renewed war against Iswap - with millions of civilians caught in the middle.
Al-Shabaab is an Islamist group active in Somalia and Kenya as well as Yemen and whose militants have been responsible for a number of large attacks in recent years.
WHO ARE Al-SHABAAB?
Al-Shabaab is an Islamist group founded in 2006 and active in Somalia and Kenya as well as Yemen.
The group's name means "The Youth" in Arabic.
It has been designated a terrorist organisation by several governments, including the US, UK, Malaysia, and UAE.
The US State Department also has open bounties out on several senior commanders, including one for $6million (£4.5million) on leader Ahmad Umar.
The latest estimates suggests the group has between 7,000 and 9,000 troops.
The group's militants have been responsible for several deadly attacks in recent years.
In October 2017, two truck bombings in Mogadishu, one of which caused the collapse of a hotel, killed at least 587 and injured more than 300.
The attack was the deadliest in Somalia's history.
The group was also responsible for a gun attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, Kenya, in which 67 people died.
IRAQI ATTACKS
In February, Biden was forced to order his first air strike in Syria following rocket attacks on American targets in neighbouring Iraq.
The U.S. dropped seven 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions ( JDAMs) reportedly killing 22 at a crossing used by Iranian-backed militia groups to move weapons across the border.
The U.S. appeared to be retaliating for a February 15 rocket attack on the American military base at Erbil International Airport - which was later claimed by the Guardians of Blood Brigade.
The U.S. has not definitively blamed any specific group for the outrage or attributed it to any Iranian proxies in the region, but the administration had made it clear where it places the blame.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces... conducted air strikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby after last night's strike.
Kirby said that Biden ordered the strikes at Al Bukamal after consulting with U.S. allies, including coalition partners.