The renewed US involvement in Somalia underscores the lack of strategy. The US Army won the battle of Mogadishu in 1993 with a kill-to-loss ratio of 200. Incompetent activists and media labeled that a defeat, and Clinton ordered withdrawal. At that time, he saw no reason to persist in Somalia: American troops there merely protected distribution of food during famine.
Had the US not intervene in Somalia at all, civil war and famine would have faded away as common occurrences. American withdrawal, however, provided major boost for Islamic militia which eventually overtook the government and continued to destabilize the region.
Now America is back in Somalia with absurd explanations that gunships kill Al Qaeda members, not incidental civilians. Evidently, the US assists hapless Somalian government which has no authority in the country. Worldwide hunt for Islamic guerrillas suddenly made Somalia relevant for America.
Muslims are 1.5 billion. It is impossible to seek and destroy every Islamic group. Population breeds more of them. Even if the US destroys Islamic militants in Somalia, other Muslims won’t care. They discount expected losses and trumpet anything less than total defeat as victory.
Huge enemy is not unique. Empires often have many enemies threatening their interests in dispersed places. The proper response is long known: exemplary punishment. Islamists could do whatever they want in Somalia or other irrelevant places. Once they become strong or directly infringe on American interests, they should be given a lesson: short, cruel, with a lot of collateral damage, and leaving no doubt about the victor. Purposeless aerial shooting in Somalia makes bad PR and even worse strategy.