Free Republic

The U.S. military has requested that the White House grant it more freedom in its approach to fighting a terror group that has been wreaking havoc in North Africa in recent years, Military.com reported. Aggressions by the al-Shabab militant group in Somalia could erupt into an all-out war, but the head of U.S. Africa Command was looking for ways to avoid turning the country into a "free-fire zone," he said Friday. Specifically, Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser was looking for "a little bit more flexibility" to "process targets in a more rapid fashion," he told reporters at the Pentagon. That "flexibility"...

President Donald Trump granted the U.S. military more flexibility in conducting operations in Somalia on Wednesday, declaring the country a "war zone" and easing restrictions that protect civilians. Parts of Somalia have been declared areas of "active hostilities" under a directive Trump signed Wednesday, the New York Times reported. The directive would mean rules that require interagency approval of air strikes no longer apply in those targeted areas, and targets would no longer have to pose a direct threat to American lives. These rules, put in place under President Barack Obama in 2013, also required that strikes would have a...