The United States intensified its airstrike campaign in Somalia this January, focusing on al-Shabab and the regional ISIS faction, as announced by the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
On January 12, AFRICOM released a statement detailing that U.S. forces, in collaboration with the Somali federal government, had launched airstrikes against al-Shabab militants.
The command emphasized that these operations are a part of continuous efforts to “reduce the group’s capability to pose threats to the U.S. homeland, American forces, and citizens abroad.”
Operations also targeted ISIS-Somalia with airstrikes reported on January 9 and 11 in northern Somalia, specifically in the Golis Mountains region of Puntland, situated southeast of Bosaso.
In August 2025, U.S. forces concluded a significant operation against ISIS in Somalia. (Hannah Kantner/AFRICOM)
Further airstrikes aimed at al-Shabab were noted on January 8, including one near Buur Heybo, approximately 154 kilometers northwest of the capital, 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 broader intensification of U.S. airstrikes in 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.
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 President Donald Trump returned 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 to U.S. national security interests low,” Langley said in a statement.
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.
ISIS-Somalia is a smaller faction concentrated 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 groups was the third-deadliest in Africa through 2024, killing an estimated 7,289 people.
Fox News Digital has reached out to AFRICOM for comment.
