Somali police get first drones to combat militant bombings

Somali police get first drones to combat militant bombings.
A former intelligence specialist donates five drones to the Somali police force to help combat Al Shabaab militants.
Former U.S. intelligence specialist Brett Velicovich is donating five drones to the Somali police force to help them combat Al Qaeda-linked insurgents who are launching increasingly complicated and deadly bomb attacks.
The Al Shabaab insurgents have been steadily losing control of cities and towns in the Horn of Africa nation since withdrawing from the capital in 2011. But they are hitting back with increasingly large and complex bombings.
Bombs killed at least 723 people and wounded 1,116 in Somalia last year, according to Nairobi-based think-tank Sahan Research, up from 193 dead and 442 wounded in 2015.
The gift follows a deal in London earlier this month between the Somali government and its Western allies to beef up security forces and try to integrate regional militias. U.S. President Donald Trump is also pushing for U.S. troops to become more active in the region.