Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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US Strikes in Somalia Nearly on Par with Strikes in Iraq, Syria

Carla Babb

   PENTAGON - The pace of U.S. military strikes against al-Qaida affiliate
   al-Shabab in Somalia this year is nearly on par with the number of
   strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

   The U.S. has carried out 25 strikes against al-Shabab to date in 2020,
   including one Monday in the vicinity of Janaale, Somalia, that U.S.
   Africa Command (AFRICOM) said killed four terrorists.

   Data released to VOA by a U.S. defense official show the U.S. carried
   out 29 airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from January
   1 to March 1, the latest date in which strike data was available. A
   full strike report from Operation Inherent Resolve is expected later
   this week.

   Strikes in Iraq and Syria have significantly tapered off since the
   territorial defeat of the so-called Islamic State caliphate last March.

   In 2019, there were more than 2,000 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, with
   at least 1,600 of those carried out in the first couple of months. U.S.
   Central Command has decreased troop numbers in Syria, where thousands
   of IS fighters are estimated to remain, but increased troop numbers
   elsewhere in the Middle East in an effort to counter the threat of
   Iran.

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