Africa

United States and Somali military forces raided a rebel-held village in southern Somalia and killed several al-Shabaab fighters early on Thursday, a senior Somali intelligence official said, as both countries step up efforts against Africa’s deadliest Islamic extremist group. Somali commandos accompanied by US forces in two helicopters raided two …

Egyptian police killed six militants who allegedly adhered to the Islamic State group’s beliefs when a gunfight erupted on Monday during a raid on their Nile valley hideout, the government said. The militants opened fire on the police as they approached the hideout in Dairut, a town in the southern …

South Sudan government forces have launched an offensive against a rebel stronghold in the north of the country, the UN said on Wednesday. David Shearer, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), described “heavy fighting” and an “extremely worrying” situation around the town of Pagak, in Upper Nile …

The United States says it’s strongly condemning the attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that killed at least 23 Egyptian troops. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert says that the US continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.”

Tens of thousands of South Sudanese have been displaced and aid workers evacuated as rebels accuse government troops of advancing on their stronghold and killing civilians along the way. Opposition spokesperson William Gatjiath Deng on Saturday said government troops have stepped up attacks in the past week in Mathiang and …

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has met with UAE leaders for talks on military cooperation, state media said on Sunday, days after announcing the retaking of second city Benghazi from jihadists. Haftar, who has visited the United Arab Emirates regularly in recent months, held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh …

Libyan forces in the country’s east say they have cleared the final remaining pockets of the city of Benghazi of Islamist militiamen and armed opponents. The head of the self-styled Libyan National Army, Gen. Khalifa Hifter, says that all that remained were some land mines and bombs to clear. He …

Clashes between armed groups killed three people in northeastern Mali on Thursday, a security source said, as the United Nations condemned repeated ceasefire violations by the combatants. Mali’s north is controlled in parts by armed groups loyal to Bamako and in others by former rebels who want greater autonomy for …

United States President Donald Trump has spoken with his Egyptian counterpart about the ongoing dispute between Qatar and four Arab countries. The president called Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi from Air Force One on Wednesday, while en route to Poland. He called on “all parties to negotiate constructively to resolve the dispute” …

The US military says it has carried out an airstrike against al-Shabaab in Somalia as the Trump administration quietly steps up efforts against the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa. Pentagon spokesperson Major Audricia M Harris said the strike occurred on Sunday afternoon Somalia time and the US was assessing …