Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa

It is one component of the broader Afghan war category of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which includes eight African nations stretching from the far northeast of the continent to the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea in the west. The other OEF mission in Africa is known as Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara (OEF-TS), which has, until the creation of the new Africa Command , been run out of European Command . In Northeastern Africa, allies of the OEF-HOA effort include Djibouti , Ethiopia and Somalia , with, among other counter-terrorism measures, Somali troops being trained in nearby countries in preparation for combat. The Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is the primary (but not sole) military component assigned to accomplish the objectives of the mission. The naval component is the multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) which operates under the direction of the United States Fifth Fleet . Both of these organizations have been historically part of United States Central Command . Bush announced the establishment of the United States Africa Command which took over all of the area of operations of CJTF-HOA in October 2008. The New York Times . Agenda in New Approach to Africom" .

More than 1,200 captured 11–59 civilians killed Dis: Disbanded *: Former commanders Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa ( OEF-HOA ) is the name of the military operation defined by the United States for combating militant Islamism and piracy in the Horn of Africa . It is one component of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which includes eight African states stretching from the far northeast of the continent to the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea in the west. The other OEF mission in Africa is known as Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara (OEF-TS), which, until the creation of the new Africa Command , was run out from the United States European Command . The Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is the primary (but not sole) military component assigned to accomplish the objectives of the mission. The naval component is the multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) which operates under the direction of the United States Fifth Fleet . Both of these organizations have been historically part of United States Central Command . Bush announced the establishment of the United States Africa Command which took over all of the area of operations of CJTF-HOA in October 2008. CJTF-HOA consists of about 2,000 service men and women from the United States military and allied countries. The official areas of responsibility comprises Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Seychelles and Kenya. The New York Times . The New York Times . Bureau of Investigative Journalism . Directs Large-Scale Offensive In Somalia" . Agenda in New Approach to Africom" .

The New York Times . The New York Times . The New York Times . The New York Times . " "US Strikes Kill 150 Shabab fighters in Somalia, officials say". "American warplanes on Saturday struck a training camp in Somalia belonging to the Islamist militant group the Shabab, the Pentagon said, killing about 150 fighters who United States officials said were preparing an attack against American troops and their regional allies in East Africa." New York Times. 7 March 2016.

United States counter-terrorist activities in the region have included advisers, supplies, and other forms of non-combat support, but more prominently have included drone strikes targeted at Al-Shabaab . Other American combat operations include manned airstrikes, cruise missile strikes, and special forces raids. Many such activities were initially supervised by Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa before CJTF-HOA pivoted to a defense/diplomacy/development mission; others have been undertaken by task forces from Joint Special Operations Command . After the Fall of Kabul in November 2001, there was considerable U.S. Department of Defense concern that Islamist takfiri , jihadis, and others fleeing from Afghanistan might escape south and west to the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa . Central Command already had responsibility for Yemen . But there were concerns that takfiri militants might escape across the Arabian Sea to East Africa . As a result, II Marine Expeditionary Force was directed to establish a task force, to be responsible for Yemen and East Africa, to operate from the former French colony of Djibouti . In due course Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) was established, with its headquarters initially based aboard the command vessel USS Mount Whitney . Its original mission was purely directed against fleeing takfiri militants from Afghanistan and/or other terrorist groups. U.S. forces became increasingly involved in the Somali Civil War . In October 2008, CJTF-HOA became part of the new United States Africa Command . The New York Times . The New York Times . The New York Times . " "US Strikes Kill 150 Shabab fighters in Somalia, officials say". "American warplanes on Saturday struck a training camp in Somalia belonging to the Islamist militant group the Shabab, the Pentagon said, killing about 150 fighters who United States officials said were preparing an attack against American troops and their regional allies in East Africa." New York Times. 7 March 2016. Dark side: the inside story of how the war on terror turned into a war on American ideals . "The Secret War: How U.S. hunted AQ in Africa — Clandestine SEAL mission planted cameras, but little came out of the images" . "The Pentagon has decided to form a new Joint Task Force for the Horn of Africa to oversee antiterrorist operations" .