Somalia: Americas Other Endless War

The U.S. commandos careened between grief and anger as Alex Conrads flag-draped coffin was hoisted onto the cargo plane. Al-Shabaab militants allied with al Qaeda had killed Staff Sgt. Conrad at a rudimentary outpost that American Green Berets built with help of the Somali army. Now just as Sgt. Conrads comrades were sending him on his final trip home they were grappling with more bad news. The Somali army had abandoned the outpost hours after the sergeant died. The Green Beret commander frantically called a senior Somali official. We lost lives there" the Green Beret said. Its not acceptable to give it back." Americas war against al-Shabaab is one of the longest-running conflicts in U.S. history simmering quietly for a dozen years in the desert landscape of the Horn of Africa. It has proven a frustrating mission with wins but no victory setbacks but no defeat