US dramatically escalates Somalia airstrikes as Trump admin targets ISIS, al Qaeda terrorists

The fig of U.S. airstrikes against jihadi terrorists successful Somalia has accrued much than tenfold nether the Trump medication truthful acold this year, compared to missions carried retired nether President Biden successful 2024.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed to Fox News Digital connected Friday that it conducted 10 airstrikes successful 2024, and that truthful acold this twelvemonth it has carried retired much than 100 airstrikes successful Somalia.

In the latest subject enactment Tuesday, AFRICOM unit  were progressive successful an airstrike and reportedly a weapon conflict lasting up to 4 hours with ISIS-Somalia jihadists successful Puntland, successful the northbound of this African country. The cognition was planned, AFRICOM said successful a media statement, "in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia."

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U.S. forces reason cognition targeting ISIS successful Somalia. Aug, 2025. (Jaron Willis/AFRICOM)

Multiple section sources reported high-value ISIS targets were hit, with reports that a high-level panic person was either killed oregon captured, and up to 10 terrorists killed. There are nary reports of U.S. casualties.

This onslaught is the latest successful a bid of missions implicit Somalia against assorted jihadi groups, chiefly ISIS, ISIS-Somalia and the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab.

An AFRICOM spokesperson told Fox News Digital connected Thursday the U.S. "conducted an airstrike astir 66 km southeast of Bossaso. To date, we’ve completed 101 airstrikes successful Somalia — 59 of which person specifically targeted ISIS-Somalia. In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, we proceed to instrumentality enactment to degrade ISIS-Somalia and al-Shabab’s quality to endanger the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad."

A record photograph showing al-Shabab terrorists behaviour subject workout successful bluish Mogadishu's Suqaholaha neighborhood, Somalia, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010.  (Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo)

Local sources study that successful this latest attack, U.S. MQ9 Reaper drones archetypal dropped missiles connected the terrorists, who were said to beryllium successful and astir a ample cave. This was reportedly followed by an onslaught utilizing 10 helicopters. During the battle, respective sources assertion U.S. troops disembarked from the helicopters.

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But U.S. subject officials dismissed the information that American forces stepped onto Somali soil, stressing determination was nary crushed cognition by American troops, stating doubly that specified reports are inaccurate. In a nationalist statement, AFRICOM said "specific details astir units and assets volition not beryllium released to guarantee continued operations security".

U.S. forces reason cognition targeting ISIS successful Somalia. Aug, 2025. (Hannah Kantner/AFRICOM)

In August, AFRICOM stated that they carried retired aggregate airstrikes against ISIS fighters, with AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson saying, "these lethal strikes show our resoluteness and committedness to ensuring Americans and our partners stay harmless from the menace of planetary terrorism." The wide continued that the strikes were aimed "against an enactment that wishes to export their panic to the U.S. and our allies."

U.S. craft launching from an craft bearer were shown successful authoritative photographs accompanying the media connection astir the attacks successful bid to guarantee operations security. 

Ahmed Soliman, elder probe fellow, Africa Program, Chatham House, told Fox News Digital, "The U.S. absorption connected [ISIS] successful Puntland is partially driven by the extremity of preventing different planetary [ISIS] "safe haven" from emerging, arsenic good arsenic the imaginable menace from IS-Somalia’s recruitment of overseas fighters."

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He continued, "However, the imbalance has led to increasing concerns that the planetary effect whitethorn beryllium lagging down the gait of al-Shabab’s resurgence successful cardinal and confederate Somalia. Al-Shabab has leveraged this shifting planetary absorption to reconsolidate its areas of operations. The group’s advances person taken spot against a backdrop of Somalia’s progressively fragmented home governmental landscape. Ongoing powerfulness struggles betwixt the FGS and subordinate states similar Puntland and Jubaland person undermined coordination and counterterrorism efforts."

In May, AFRICOM’s past Commander, Gen. Michael E. Langley, referring to strikes successful Somalia, told Air & Space Forces Magazine, "the U.S. is actively pursuing and eliminating jihadists."