Donald Trump took to his Twitter to send condolences to the family of a US service member who was killed in Somalia. CNN reported that he died in southern Somalia while on a mission with Somali and Kenyan forces at the time. They were in an area known to have al-Qaida linked al-Shabaab fighters when the contact happened.

CNN reported they came under mortar fire while "setting up a permanent combat outpost." The Friday (June 8) attack on around 800 combined forces resulted in one injury being treated in the field and the others were evacuated.

WD Made for Minds, cited a US military statement by the US African Command. The statement said that the combined operation forces "came under mortar and small-arms fire at approximately 2:45 p.m. Mogadishu time, killing one US service member and injuring four US service members."

500 US Special Forces are assisting with training and operations in the Somalia government's fight against the al-Shabaab. Together with the African Union, they are conducting an anti-terror operation.

Donald Trump extends his thoughts and prayers

Donald Trump said in his tweet, "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of our serviceman who was killed and his fellow servicemen who were wounded in Somalia.

They are truly all HEROES."

The Trump administration increased support to Somalia in the light of the State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism in 2016. Long War Journal explained this decision was taken as the report "noted that Shabaab has retained its safe haven in the Jubba River Valley, retaken ground in the south, forced poorly resourced African Union forces to cede territory after spectacular complex assaults, and continues to plot against the US and the West."

Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for killing US service member

The Long War Journal cited Telegram messages by Shabaab that read, "Killing and wounding more than five American soldiers in an attack by Shabaab fighters on an American military base." In another message post, they described it as a “fierce attack.”

The African Union is concerned about the threat by the terror group to other countries in the region and they, together with the assistance of the USA, have been trying to keep control for over ten years.

But despite the efforts of the military from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, and Ethiopia, they have not managed to take back parts of southern Somalia. In some instances, Longwar Journal points out that they have lost some towns to al-Shabaab.

Deaths of US military in Somalia

The death of the US service member which was on Donald Trump's mind when he tweeted his condolences, is the first US death in Somalia since May 2017, when a US Navy SEAL died. Prior to that, CNN noted, was the "1993 Black Hawk down incident that resulted in the deaths of 18 American soldiers."