America on the Attack in Africa

America On The Attack

American airstrikes target
al-Qaeda in Africa at a record pace as strikes drop near Afghanistan.

While We Sleep…

What You Should Know:

• U.S. has a consistent bombing campaign vs. al-Shabaab (al-Qaeda’s arm in Somalia); airstrike killed 3 terrorists this week.
• U.S. dropped 31 bombs in Somalia in 2017; this year’s # of airstrikes likely theA same or more.
• Despite their efforts, military saysA al-Shabaab threatens safety of Americans;A U.S. soldier killed in June.

Why al-Shabaab Matters:

"They’ve been able to kill very high numbers and you didn’t see that five years ago. They’ve been able to actually overrun bases at times. The danger is as African Union forces draw down, they may retake major urban areas. I think there’s a good chance of that."

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Senior Analyst, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Something To Consider:

While U.S. airstrikes against al-Qaeda increased over the last 2 years in Africa (al-Shabaab in Somalia, & al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen), they have dropped against al-Qaeda in Pakistan, a key area for America’s longest war: Afghanistan.

Why This Matters?

Al-Qaeda (AQ) Adjusts

• After 17 years at war, our enemies learn lessons.
• AQ moved deeper into urban areas in Pakistan where drones will not strike.
• AQ returned to Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden instructed his followers to do so.
• Afghanistan “home” to arguably more terrorist groups now than in 2001: AQ, Taliban and ISIS.

The U.S military reportedly dropped thousands more bombs inside Afghanistan in 2017 than in 2016, as U.S. military defends against the Taliban & ISIS. Keep An Eye On This Story: China denies reports its building a military base in Afghanistan.