Biden orders probe into Shabaab US military Lamu base raid

The Biden administration has ordered a fresh inquiry into an Al-Shabaab terrorist attack on the US military base in Lamu that left one American soldier and two contractors dead.

The new US administration said it wants to make sure the fresh “independent review” provides additional “insight and perspective” into how the attack happened and how it could be prevented in future.

“It is the secretary’s desire to ensure there is a full examination and consideration of the contributing factors that led to this tragic event and that appropriate action is taken to reduce the risk of future occurrence,” said Pentagon in a statement, citing newly appointed US Defence secretary Lloyd Austin.

Findings of a previous investigation initiated by the US military during the former regime of President Donald Trump have not been made public.

heavily guarded

The attack by Al-Shabaab at the heavily guarded Camp Simba in Manda Bay, Lamu, in January last year quickly drew fresh attention to the potent threat posed by the Al-Shabaab.

The military site supports US operations in Somalia, where Al-Shabaab fighters have waged an insurgency for more than a decade.

Following the attack, the US military in January vowed to double down on fighting the Al-Shabaab.

The former Trump regime late last year ordered the withdrawal of the roughly 700 American forces in Somalia, and the bulk of those troops were pulled out of the war-torn country by mid-January.

Mr Biden was sworn in as US President on January 20, ending the tumultuous four-year presidency of his predecessor Trump.

He has embarked on the reversal of many policies that had been rolled out by the Trump administration.

Al-Shabaab has been attacking Somali government and military targets but occasionally launches high-profile assaults in neighbouring states, including Kenya.