The New York Times reported that the United States (US) military has delivered a proposal that would allow it to conduct covert drone strikes in Kenya, in what would be an unprecedented change to its counterterrorism efforts. Senior officials within the military’s Africa Command (Africom) are seeking new powers that would allow them to engage in combat with Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants through targeted drone strikes in eastern Kenya.
Their reasoning stems from an al-Shabaab attack on a US military base in Lamu back in January. The base is used by US and Kenyan military personnel, and the attack killed one US military service member and two US contractors. The militants also destroyed at least two planes, two US helicopters, and multiple US military vehicles.
In February, Africom announced that it had killed two al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, and that one of the targets was the mastermind behind the January 5 Manda Bay Airfield attacks. In the aftermath of the retaliatory strike, Africom General Stephen Townsend said before a congressional committee: “I think it’s self-obvious we were not as prepared there at Manda Bay as we needed to be. Al-Shabaab managed to penetrate onto that airfield.”
Therefore, in a bid to ward off similar attacks in the future, the proposed deal seeks to authorize the US military to carry out drone strikes in the self-defence of American soldiers and “collective self-defense” of allied Kenyan troops, as well as pre-emptive strikes on suspects. These ‘signature strikes’, however, would require permission from Kenyan authorities to guard against criticisms of a lack of transparency that have been leveled at US drone warfare in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia.
The US army also has an eye on increasing Chinese influence in the region, as evidenced by a recent report by the Pentagon, in which the Department of Defense said that China is planning to build military logistics bases in 12 countries, including Kenya.
While Africom has neither confirmed nor denied the NYT report, spokesperson Colonel Chris Karnes reiterated that Al-Shabaab remains “the most capable terrorist group on the African continent,” adding, “As such, there is a need to apply consistent international pressure on the terrorist organization and to monitor their activity and presence.” He went on to say, “We will continue to actively place pressure on their network and work with partners to prevent their spread.”
The proposal now awaits the ascent of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and President Donald Trump and stands to expand the country’s operations from neighboring Somalia. The attack on the Manda Bay airfield, for instance, was carried out by militants who crossed over from Somalia. However, while the US immediately conducted a drone strikes on the assailants in Kenya, they soon realized that they lacked the proper authorization to launch drone strikes in the country. Therefore, the military is seeking to establish clear and expanded guidelines to carry out such maneuvers without hesitation in the future.
During Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to the White House in February, he reportedly asked Trump for “additional counterterrorism assistance”, including “armed aerial support” to fight al-Shabaab militants.
This latest proposal comes amidst the US’ efforts to strengthen both strategic and economic ties with Kenya. Major oil companies are lobbying the Office of the United States Trade Representative to pressure Kenya into removing what they see as obstacles to dumping plastic waste in the African country. Simultaneously, the Office of the United States Trade Representative is negotiating a new trade agreement to replace the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires in 2025.
US Military Seeks Approval to Carry Out Covert Drone Strikes in Kenya
The US seeks to ward off attacks such as those on the Manda Bay airfield back in January by debilitating the al-Shabaab.
September 18, 2020
Africa Command Spokesperson Colonel Chris Karnes SOURCE: VOICE OF AMERICA