2013 raid on Barawe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2013 raid on Barawe |
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| Part of Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Seal Team Six |
 Al-Shabaab |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 24 navy seals | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | none | ||||||
The 2013 raid on Barawe was a secret military mission. It was carried out by a special United States Navy team called Seal Team Six. Their goal was to capture or stop Abdikadar Mohamed Abdikadar, also known as "Ikrima." He was a high-ranking member of a group called Al-Shabaab. This event happened in October 2013, in the town of Barawa, Somalia.
What Happened During the Mission
On October 5, 2013, a spokesperson for Al-Shabaab said that foreign naval forces had attacked a building in Barawe. Barawe is a town about 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of Mogadishu. The spokesperson claimed the soldiers used special quiet guns. They exchanged gunfire and threw grenades with the Al-Shabaab members. The Al-Shabaab group said they forced the foreign soldiers to leave.
A Somali government official later said that the mission's target was an Al-Shabaab leader. This leader was hurt during the attack. The Somali police also said their government approved the operation.
Later, a senior US military official confirmed that Seal Team Six was involved. This is the same special force that found Osama bin Laden in 2011. The US team started the mission but had to stop. They faced more resistance than they expected.
The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, spoke about the mission. He said that the group they were targeting "can run but they can't hide." A spokesperson for the Pentagon also confirmed US soldiers were in Somalia. They were on a mission against a known Al-Shabaab member. The US officials later confirmed that the main target was Al-Shabaab commander Abdikadar Mohamed Abdikadar "Ikrima." There were no US soldiers hurt during this mission.
