US launches wave of strikes in Somalia targeting ISIS, al-Shabab terror threats

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The U.S.stepped up airstrikes in Somalia in January, targeting al-Shabab and the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, ISIS, according toU.S.Africa Command(AFRICOM).

In a Jan.12 release, AFRICOM saidU.S.forces, working with the Somali federal government, carried out airstrikes against al-Shabab militants.

AFRICOM said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to “degrade the group’s ability to threaten theU.S.homeland, U.S.forces and Americans overseas.”

Airstrikes against ISIS—Somalia were also reported on Jan.11 and Jan.9 in northern Somalia, including the Golis Mountains region of Puntland, southeast of Bosaso.

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U.S.forces conclude an operation targeting ISIS in Somalia in August 2025.(Hannah Kantner/AFRICOM)

Additional airstrikes targeting al-Shabab were reported on Jan.8, including one in the vicinity of Buur Heybo, about 154 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu.

The command said between the evening of Jan.3–4, strikes were also conducted “in coordination with Somali authorities.”

AFRICOM said in a release the strikes were part of a broader campaign conducted with Somali partners.No casualty figures were released.

The latest spate of operations comes amid a broaderintensification of U.S.airstrikesin Somalia.

According to information released by AFRICOM, between Feb.1, when the Trump administration conducted its first strike in Somalia in 2025, and June 10, the U.S.carried out 38 airstrikes against al-Shabab and the Islamic State in Somalia.

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Somalia airstrikes escalate as U.S.forces partner with Somali authorities against al-Shabab.(TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)

AFRICOM has said additional strikes have been conducted since June 10.

Independent monitoring organizations have reported a rise in strikes since PresidentDonald Trumpreturned to office in 2024, according to a report by the Combating Terrorism Center.

The report cited an April 2025 statement by AFRICOM commander Gen.Michael E.Langley before the Senate Armed Services Committee, in which he referenced the potential threat posed by jihadi groups in Africa to the U.S.homeland.

“We are acutely aware that if ISIS and al Qaeda groups continue their expansion, they will pose a direct threat to the U.S.homeland,” Langley said.

“Given this environment, US AFRICOM will work collaboratively with the intelligence community and inter-agency partners to keep the risk toU.S.national security interestslow,” Langley said in a statement.

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Members of al-Shabab terrorist rebel group parade through the streets of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Jan.1, 2010. (REUTERS/Feisal Omar)

Al-Shabab,an al Qaeda affiliate, has waged war on Somalia’s government since 2007 and continues to control territory in south-central Somalia.

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ISIS-Somalia is a smaller factionconcentrated largely in Puntland’s mountainous northeast, where it is also said to compete with al-Shabab for influence.

According to the U.S.-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies,Somalia’s conflict with armed groupswas the third-deadliest in Africa through 2024, killing an estimated 7,289 people.

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