MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabab militants launched a mortar attack on a U.S. military base near Kismayo in the Lower Jubba region.
The base, located around 500km south of Mogadishu, came under indirect fire late Wednesday in what al-Shabab called a “planned operation.”
Al-Shabab claimed the attack caused deaths and injuries among U.S. personnel, saying it would release further details of the attack in due course.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the incident, saying U.S. and partner forces “took indirect fire near Kismayo” but suffered no casualties.
AFRICOM reported no injuries, deaths, or damage to U.S. personnel, property, or infrastructure as a result of the mortar attack.
The attack comes a day after AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu.
The meeting focused on joint counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabaab and ISIS, amid a surge in U.S. airstrikes across Somalia.
Despite air and ground operations, the militant group continues to carry out deadly attacks on army bases in south and central Somalia.
For the last three months, the group seized several towns following pre-dawn attacks that began with suicide explosions, followed by gun battles.
Al-Shabab still holds large swaths of rural territory, including the Middle Jubba region, where its top leaders have been based since being driven out of Mogadishu in 2011.
