[The Drive] For years, there has been very limited information available publicly about U.S. counter-terrorism operations in Somalia and the forces, based there and in neighboring countries, carrying them out. The repositioning of the bulk of American military forces out of this East African nation between December 2020 and January 2021, dubbed Operation Octave Quartz, highlighted those activities in a way that had not been previously seen. This has included the release of a significant number of what would have been previously been very rare pictures and video clips of U.S. personnel operating in and around the country. One picture that was recently released, seen at the top of this story, prominently shows what can be considered a "ghost aircraft."
The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air turboprop aircraft with the U.S. civil registration number N27557 was photographed at Baledogle Military Airfield, which is situated some 55 miles northwest of the capital Mogadishu. It was included in a group of images related to the deployment of elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to the base, sometime between the last week of December 2020 and the first week of January 2021, to provide security and other support as American troops pulled out. The Pentagon announced on Jan. 17, 2021, that the repositioning of the majority of U.S. forces out of Somalia was complete.
Some interesting photos and information at the link
| An interesting series of photos. One wonders who took them, and for what purpose they were released. |
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