The Trump administration has given the U.S. military the authorization to conduct offensive counterterrorism airstrikes in Somalia targeting al Shabaab, the al Qaeda affiliated group, the Defense Department said.
"The President has approved a Department of Defense proposal to provide additional precision fires in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces operations to defeat al-Shabaab in Somalia," said Captain Jeff Davis, the Pentagon spokesman, in a statement.
"This authority is consistent with our approach of developing capable Somali security forces and supporting regional partners in their efforts to combat al-Shabaab," he added.
"Additional U.S. support to Somali and AMISOM forces will help them increase pressure on al Shabaab and reduce the risk to our partner forces when they conduct operations," Davis said. 

Source: QNA