[h=1]Senior Chief Kyle Milliken is named as the Navy SEAL killed in Somalia during an operation against extremist group al-Shabaab[/h]
- On Saturday, the Pentagon confirmed that Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, has been killed in Somalia
- Milliken was killed in an ambush near Barii, about 40 miles west of Mogadishu
- US special operators have been teaming up with Somali troops against the al-Qaeda linked organization al-Shabaab
- Both the US and Somalia have recently declared new efforts against the group
- Milliken is the first American to die in combat in Somalia since 1993
The Pentagon has confirmed that Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, was the Navy SEAL killed in a mission in Somalia on Thursday.
As part of an operation against the extremist group al-Shabaab, US special operators have joined forces with Somali troops in the renewed fight against the al-Qaeda-linked organization.
The US group was ambushed by fighters this week but the attackers were 'quickly neutralized on the ground,' according to a New York Times report.
Milliken, from Falmouth, Maine, was killed in the ambush and two other US military personnel were injured.
Milliken's death marks the first American combat causality in Somalia since the failed 'Black Hawk Down' mission in 1993.
As part of an operation against the extremist group al-Shabaab, US special operators have joined forces with Somali troops in the renewed fight against the al-Qaeda-linked organization.
The US group was ambushed by fighters this week but the attackers were 'quickly neutralized on the ground,' according to a New York Times report.
Milliken, from Falmouth, Maine, was killed in the ambush and two other US military personnel were injured.
Milliken's death marks the first American combat causality in Somalia since the failed 'Black Hawk Down' mission in 1993.
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Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, was killed Thursday in Somalia during an operation against the extremist group al-Shabaab
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General William 'Kip' Ward, then-Commander of the US Africa Command, meets with sailors during the establishment of a US military harbor security force at the Port de Djibouti in August, 2008
'Senior Chief Kyle Milliken embodied the warrior spirit and toughness infused in our very best Navy SEALs,' Rear Admiral Timothy Szymanski, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command said in a statement.
'We grieve his death, but we celebrate his life and many accomplishments. He is irreplaceable as a husband, father, son, friend and teammate - and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and teammates.
'His sacrifice is a stark reminder that Naval Special Operators are forward doing their job, confronting terrorism overseas to prevent evil from reaching our shores.'
A Department of Defense official said Milliken was killed near Barii, about 40 miles west of the Somalian capital, Mogadishu.
'The service member was struck by small arms fire while conducting an advise and assist mission alongside members of the Somalia National Army,' Mack said.
The other injured service members are receiving proper medical attention and were taken to neighboring Djibouti for care.
Both the United States and Somalia in recent weeks have declared new efforts against al-Shabaab.
US forces in helicopters raided an al-Shabaab hideout near the Somali capital on Thursday night and engaged with fighters, according to a Somali intelligence official who confirmed the US military operation.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the helicopters dropped soldiers near Dare Salaam village in an attempt to capture or kill extremists in the area.
'We grieve his death, but we celebrate his life and many accomplishments. He is irreplaceable as a husband, father, son, friend and teammate - and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and teammates.
'His sacrifice is a stark reminder that Naval Special Operators are forward doing their job, confronting terrorism overseas to prevent evil from reaching our shores.'
A Department of Defense official said Milliken was killed near Barii, about 40 miles west of the Somalian capital, Mogadishu.
'The service member was struck by small arms fire while conducting an advise and assist mission alongside members of the Somalia National Army,' Mack said.
The other injured service members are receiving proper medical attention and were taken to neighboring Djibouti for care.
Both the United States and Somalia in recent weeks have declared new efforts against al-Shabaab.
US forces in helicopters raided an al-Shabaab hideout near the Somali capital on Thursday night and engaged with fighters, according to a Somali intelligence official who confirmed the US military operation.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the helicopters dropped soldiers near Dare Salaam village in an attempt to capture or kill extremists in the area.
The fighters mounted a stiff resistance against the soldiers, the official said.
Somalia's new Somali-American president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, declared a new offensive last month against al-Shabaab, which is based in Somalia but has claimed responsibility for major attacks elsewhere in East Africa.
Also last month, the US military announced it was sending dozens of regular troops to Somalia in the largest such deployment to the Horn of Africa country in roughly two decades.
AFRICOM, led by US Marine Corps General Thomas D. Waldhouser, said the deployment was for logistics training of Somalia's army.
The US in recent years has sent a small number of special operations forces and counter-terror advisers to Somalia and has carried out a number of airstrikes, including drone strikes, against al-Shabaab.
The extremist group, which was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but continues to carry out deadly attacks there, has vowed to step up the violence in response to the moves by Trump and Mohamed.
Pressure is growing on Somalia's military to assume full security for the country as the 22,000-strong African Union multinational force that has been supporting the fragile central government plans to leave by the end of 2020.
The AU force will begin withdrawing in 2018. If it leaves before Somalia's security forces are capable, 'large portions of Somalia are at risk of returning to al-Shabaab control or potentially allowing ISIS to gain a stronger foothold,' Commander General Waldhauser has said.
Fighters linked to the Islamic State group are a relatively new and growing challenge in the north of the country, which has seen a quarter-century of chaos since dictator Siad Barre fell in 1991.
The US pulled out of Somalia after 1993, when two helicopters were shot down in Mogadishu and bodies of Americans were dragged through the streets.
Read more:
Somalia's new Somali-American president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, declared a new offensive last month against al-Shabaab, which is based in Somalia but has claimed responsibility for major attacks elsewhere in East Africa.
Also last month, the US military announced it was sending dozens of regular troops to Somalia in the largest such deployment to the Horn of Africa country in roughly two decades.
AFRICOM, led by US Marine Corps General Thomas D. Waldhouser, said the deployment was for logistics training of Somalia's army.
The US in recent years has sent a small number of special operations forces and counter-terror advisers to Somalia and has carried out a number of airstrikes, including drone strikes, against al-Shabaab.
The extremist group, which was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but continues to carry out deadly attacks there, has vowed to step up the violence in response to the moves by Trump and Mohamed.
Pressure is growing on Somalia's military to assume full security for the country as the 22,000-strong African Union multinational force that has been supporting the fragile central government plans to leave by the end of 2020.
The AU force will begin withdrawing in 2018. If it leaves before Somalia's security forces are capable, 'large portions of Somalia are at risk of returning to al-Shabaab control or potentially allowing ISIS to gain a stronger foothold,' Commander General Waldhauser has said.
Fighters linked to the Islamic State group are a relatively new and growing challenge in the north of the country, which has seen a quarter-century of chaos since dictator Siad Barre fell in 1991.
The US pulled out of Somalia after 1993, when two helicopters were shot down in Mogadishu and bodies of Americans were dragged through the streets.
Read more:
[h=1]U.S. Service Member Dies During Somalia Operation[/h][FONT="]DoD News, Defense Media Activity[/FONT]
[FONT="]WASHINGTON, May 5, 2017 — One U.S. service member was killed yesterday during an operation against al-Shabaab in a remote area of Shabeellaha Hoose in Somalia, approximately 40 miles west of Mogadishu.
U.S. Africa Command emblem.
“This is the first combat death in Somalia since the early 1990s,” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, director of Pentagon press operations, told reporters today.
The identity of the fallen U.S. service member is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Operation With Somalian Army
U.S. forces were conducting a partnered operation with members of the Somalia National Army, Davis said, noting this was an operation targeting an al-Shabaab group that had been associated with attacks against the United States, Somalia and African Union Mission in Somalia forces.
Davis said al-Shabaab is an al-Qaida affiliate closely tied more specifically to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is a group that has murdered Americans, radicalized and recruited terrorists and fighters in the United States, and has conducted and inspired attacks against Americans and U.S. interests around the world.
“We have been conducting this particular mission to partner with and counter al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2013,” Davis said. “This is part of an ongoing mission there to degrade this al-Qaida’s affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in the United States.”
The U.S. continues to support its Somali and regional partners to systematically dismantle this al-Qaida affiliate, and to help them achieve stability and security throughout the region as part of the global counterterrorism effort, according to a U.S. Africa Command news release issued today.
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[FONT="]WASHINGTON, May 5, 2017 — One U.S. service member was killed yesterday during an operation against al-Shabaab in a remote area of Shabeellaha Hoose in Somalia, approximately 40 miles west of Mogadishu.
U.S. Africa Command emblem.
“This is the first combat death in Somalia since the early 1990s,” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, director of Pentagon press operations, told reporters today.
The identity of the fallen U.S. service member is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Operation With Somalian Army
U.S. forces were conducting a partnered operation with members of the Somalia National Army, Davis said, noting this was an operation targeting an al-Shabaab group that had been associated with attacks against the United States, Somalia and African Union Mission in Somalia forces.
Davis said al-Shabaab is an al-Qaida affiliate closely tied more specifically to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is a group that has murdered Americans, radicalized and recruited terrorists and fighters in the United States, and has conducted and inspired attacks against Americans and U.S. interests around the world.
“We have been conducting this particular mission to partner with and counter al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2013,” Davis said. “This is part of an ongoing mission there to degrade this al-Qaida’s affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in the United States.”
The U.S. continues to support its Somali and regional partners to systematically dismantle this al-Qaida affiliate, and to help them achieve stability and security throughout the region as part of the global counterterrorism effort, according to a U.S. Africa Command news release issued today.
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