Trump orders 100+ Somalia airstrikes in 2025 vs Biden’s 10 in 2024
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The number of U.S. airstrikes against jihadist terrorists in Somalia has increased more than tenfold under the Trump administration so far this year compared to missions conducted under President Biden in 2024.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday that it has conducted 10 airstrikes in 2024, with more than 100 airstrikes in Somalia so far this year.
In the latest military action on Tuesday, AFRICOM personnel participated in an airstrike and a gunfight that reportedly lasted up to four hours with ISIS-Somali jihadists in Puntland in the north of that African country. In a statement to the press, AFRICOM said the operation was planned “in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia.”
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US forces completed the operation against ISIS in Somalia. August 2025. (Jaron Willis/AFRICOM)
Multiple local sources reported that high-value ISIS targets were hit, a top terrorist leader was killed or captured, and up to 10 terrorists were killed. There are no reports of missing persons from the United States.
This attack is the latest in a series of missions over Somalia against various jihadist groups, particularly ISIS, ISIS-Somalia and Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab.
“The United States conducted an airstrike approximately 40 miles southeast of Bossaso. To date, we have completed 101 airstrikes in Somalia, 59 of which specifically targeted ISIS-Somalia. In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, we continue to take action to reduce the ability of ISIS-Somalia and Al-Shabaab to threaten the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad,” an AFRICOM spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
A file photo showing al-Shabaab terrorists conducting military exercises in the Suqaholaha neighborhood of northern Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, September 5, 2010. (Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo)
Local sources report that in this latest attack, US MQ9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles first fired missiles at the terrorists who were said to be in and around a large cave. This was reportedly followed by an attack using 10 helicopters. During the conflict, many sources claim that US troops descended from helicopters.
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However, US military officials denied the fact that American forces had stepped into Somali territory and emphasized that there was no ground operation by American troops and twice stated that such reports were erroneous. AFRICOM said in a press release that “to ensure continued operational security, specific details regarding units and assets will not be released.”
US forces completed the operation against ISIS in Somalia. August 2025. (Hannah Kantner/AFRICOM)
While AFRICOM stated that they carried out multiple air strikes against ISIS fighters in August, AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson said: “These deadly attacks demonstrate our resolve and determination to ensure that Americans and our partners are protected from the global threat of terrorism.” The general added that the attacks were aimed “against an organization that wants to export its terrorism to the United States and our allies.”
US planes taking off from an aircraft carrier were shown in official photographs accompanying the press release on the subject. attacks In order to ensure operational safety.
Ahmed Soliman, senior research fellow at Chatham House’s Africa Program, told Fox News Digital: “The United States [ISIS] Puntland’s aim is partly to prevent another international initiative [ISIS] “The potential threat from the emergence of a ‘safe haven’ as well as ISIS-Somalia’s recruitment of foreign fighters.”
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He continued: “However, the imbalance has led to growing concerns that the international response may lag behind the pace of Al-Shabaab’s resurgence in central and southern Somalia. Al-Shabaab has taken advantage of this shifting international focus to reconsolidate its areas of operations. The group’s advances have taken place against the backdrop of Somalia’s increasingly fragmented domestic political landscape. Ongoing power struggles between the FGS and member states such as Puntland and Jubaland have weakened coordination and counter-terrorism efforts.”
In May, AFRICOM’s then-Commander, Gen. Michael E. Langley, told Air & Space Forces Magazine, referring to the attacks in Somalia: “The United States is actively pursuing and eliminating jihadists.”
