JSOC operators under fire in Somalia

In the early morning hours of May 10th, Somali special operations soldiers joined by United States JSOC commandos conducted a direct action raid against an al-Shabaab target in the village of Toratorow, 100 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu within the Lower Shebelle province. Around 3:00 am local time – residents witnessed two American helicopters, most likely operated by Night Stalkers from the 160th, land in the outskirts of Toratorow and drop off its contingent of Somali and U.S. special operations soldiers.

According to Somali security official Mohamed Nur Gabow – the U.S. commandos played the lead role in the direct action raid targeting an al-Shabaab tax collection facility. The operation lasted two hours and numerous al-Shabaab militants were killed and a handful taken into custody. Since its capture in 2010, Taratorow has served as an important base to the militant organization which has been used as a launching pad against Somali government and AMISOM forces throughout Awdheegle and Buur-hakaba in the coastal regions. The small town was retaken by AMISOM units in the summer of 2015 but has since been re-captured by al-Shabaab militants.