A U.S. special operator was killed and four service members were wounded in an enemy attack in Somalia, a Defense Department official said Friday.
The incident occurred in the Jubaland region in the southern part of the African nation and also resulted in a member of U.S. partner forces being wounded, the official said.
The U.S. troops were involved in a gun battle against fighters in the Al Shabaab terrorist group, the New York Times reported, but the defense official could not immediately confirm the detail.
“Our strategy in East Africa is to build partner capacity to ensure that violent extremist organizations, who wish harm in the region, wish harm on the European continent, and ultimately wish to harm the United States, are contained,” Commd. General Thomas Waldhauser of the U.S. Africa Command said. “Simply put, we’re working to prevent atrocious acts before they come to fruition.”
