Al-Shabaab

The trials of two commandos accused of the murder of an Army Green Beret have been postponed for later this year. More specifically, Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator Tony E. DeDolph and Marine Gunnery Sergeant Mario Madera-Rodriguez will have their day in court in July and September, respectively. If found guilty, both are looking at […]

American drones hit al-Shabab members for the fourth time in just over a week as the latest airstrike took out four suspected terrorists in the Somali town of  Gandarshe, on Saturday. And on Monday an airstrike in the Somali town of Qunyo Barrow killed an al-Shabab member on Thursday and another terrorist and wounded two […]

A little over 14 years ago, Marine Raiders became a reality. The Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the latest addition to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Established in 2006, MARSOC has steadily grown ever since, often having to fight skeptics both in the Marine Corps and the Department of Defence (DoD) about its […]

Last week, a series of U.S. airstrikes killed the terrorist leader behind the attack on the joint American-Kenyan base in Manda Bay. According to the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), the senior al-Shabaab leader was killed inside Somalia, which borders Kenya from the north and provides a safe haven for the Jihadist organization. His wife, also […]

On Friday, the French Defense Ministry released a statement saying that French forces in a joint military operation with Nigerien troops killed 120 terrorists and seized bomb-making equipment and vehicles in the Sahel.  Working along the violent tri-border area of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in the Tillaberi region of Niger, the forces “neutralized” the […]

The United States conducted an airstrike on February 17 on an al-Shabaab compound in Somalia. The official statement from AFRICOM didn’t report on any casualties but did state that no civilians were injured in the airstrike.  However, the Horn of Africa Observer (HAO) reported that three al-Shabab members were killed in the U.S. airstrike. The […]

A Tier 1 Special Operations unit, attack helicopters, and lots more. This is what Sweden is ready to contribute to the new French-led counterterrorism task force in Africa. Last year, France declared its commitment to defeating extremism in the Sahel region of Africa with the creation of Task Force TAKUBA. In a brief press release, […]

Following the deadly attack on a joint American-Kenyan base earlier this month, the Kenyan military just got several light scout attack helicopters. More specifically, the Kenyan military received 12 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior scout attack helicopters. The fuel tanks of the MD 530Fs can withstand direct hits from ammunition up to and including 7.62mm. Also the […]

The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million prize for information leading to the arrest of Jehad Serwan Mostafa, an American citizen on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. According to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Robert Brewer, Mostafa is believed to be the “highest-ranking U.S. citizen fighting overseas with a terrorist […]

A Delta Force operator has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the nation’s second-highest award for valor under fire, for his actions during a terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali in November 2015. During the morning hours of November 20, 2015, approximately a dozen Islamists associated with the terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb […]

Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) welcomed its new chief, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, on June 28th. The departing commander, Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Marcus Hicks, said in a statement: “To the men and women of Special Operations Command Africa, you have accomplished so much with so little, so quickly and […]

The deadly ambush in Niger in 2017, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, revealed to a dumbfounded public the silent war that has been taking place in the Sahel. Aside from U.S. troops, several other countries have a strong presence in the area. Belgium is one of them. And its Special Forces Group […]