Summary
| 2017 raid on Barii | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War in Somalia and the War on Terror | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States Federal Government of Somalia |
 Al-Shabaab | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
David J. Furness[1] |
Mahad Karate[2] Moalin Osman Abdi Badil †[1] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
: 50[3] DEVGRU operators (In all of Somalia) several helicopters :Danab ("Lightning") commandos[4] | 2,350 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
: 1 killed 2 wounded[1] :none[2] | 4-8 killed[1][2] | ||||||
The raid on Barii was a military operation conducted by SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU) with Federal Government of Somalia Danab commandos. The raid resulted in the death of DEVGRU Senior Chief Petty Officer Kyle Milliken, marking the first US serviceman combat death in Somalia since the First Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, also known as "Black Hawk Down".[5]
Events edit
A firefight erupted shortly after a DEVGRU team and Somali army forces were dropped by helicopter near an al-Shabaab compound in an area on the Shebelle River called Barii, about 40 miles (64 km) west of the capital Mogadishu. The DEVGRU operators were conducting an operation with Somali commandos to target a local leader of al-Shabaab in Darusalam village,[3] where Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, known as Mahad Karate, was believed to be hiding.[2]
In addition to the dead DEVGRU operator, at least two other Americans were wounded, including a Somali-American interpreter. At least three al-Shabaab militants also died plus another local al-Shabaab commander. The mission was aborted soon after insurgents opened fire. The American/Somali group quickly returned to the aircraft that had taken it to the area and was evacuated.[1][4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Cooper, Helene (2017-05-09). "Navy SEAL Who Died in Somalia Was Alongside, Not Behind, Local Forces". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
- ^ a b c d "U.S. Navy SEAL killed in Somalia raid on militant compound". Reuters. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- ^ a b "Gunfight kills Navy SEAL, wounds 2 other SEALs in Somalia". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- ^ a b Hennigan, W. J. (2017-05-25). "U.S. special operations forces face growing demands and increased risks". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
- ^ "In sign of intensifying Somalia fight, Navy SEAL killed during raid against al-Shabab". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
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