Somalia

NAIROBI, Kenya — U.S. airstrikes in Somalia have surged more than tenfold this year under the Trump administration, with U.S. Africa Command saying it has conducted 101 strikes so far in 2025, compared with 10 missions in all of 2024 under President Biden. AFRICOM confirmed the figures to Fox News Digital and said operations are targeting ISIS-Somalia cells and the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab insurgency. The latest operation unfolded Tuesday in Puntland State, northeastern Somalia, where AFRICOM said it carried out an…

BAIDOA, Somalia — South West State President Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has condemned the spread of illegal checkpoints across the region, calling them a major threat to civilian movement and safety and urging communities to back justice and stabilization efforts. Laftagareen said armed individuals obstructing travelers on public roads is “unacceptable,” especially as South West State navigates severe drought and recurring conflict that continue to disrupt livelihoods and strain security. “It is unacceptable…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali special forces and regional security units said they killed a senior al-Shabab commander during a planned nighttime operation in the Jamaame district of the Lower Jubba region, as government-aligned troops intensified a weeks-long push to retake areas long held by the militants. Jubbaland authorities said Friday that Danab commandos, operating alongside Jubbaland’s Dervish forces, targeted a group of al-Shabab fighters late Thursday and killed a commander identified as Farah Jibriil and seven…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has acceded to the Convention on the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), a step the federal government says will upgrade the country’s maritime safety, search-and-rescue capacity and technological integration across its busy coastline. Ports and Marine Transport Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nor deposited Somalia’s instrument of accession during a meeting with International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez on the sidelines of the IMO Assembly’s 34th regular…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has arrested 11 people accused of plotting terrorist attacks and conducting espionage against the government and civilians, the agency said Thursday, describing a covert cell disrupted in Mogadishu and across parts of Lower and Middle Shabelle. In a statement, NISA said the suspects were allegedly in the advanced stages of planning violence and gathering intelligence to enable attacks. The arrests followed what the agency called a sophisticated,…

Major Offensive Against Al-Shabaab in Lower Jubba Region This section details the ongoing military operations by Somali federal forces and Jubbaland troops in their efforts to regain control of Jamaame district from Al-Shabaab militants. Joint forces are advancing toward strategic locations in Lower Jubba. The offensive aims to dismantle Al-Shabaab’s control over key areas. Operations have intensified over the past two weeks. Advances Toward Jamaame Somali federal forces, supported by troops from the Jubbaland…

MOGADISHU — The commander of the Banadir Regional Police Force, Mahdi Omar Mumin, on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to tighten security across Mogadishu as residents report a surge in mobile phone robberies and attacks by armed bandits, authorities said. Senior police officers briefed Mumin on recent security incidents reported in multiple districts and outlined both ongoing and planned operations aimed at curbing robberies — with an emphasis on mobile phone thefts carried out by armed groups. The session assessed…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali court has sentenced a woman to six years in prison for financing the militant group Al-Shabaab, part of a broader government push to sever the insurgents’ money networks. In a separate overnight raid, security forces said they killed a senior Al-Shabaab commander in the central Galgaduud region. Key developments: Maryan Mohamed Nur was sentenced to six years after the court found she had direct links to Al-Shabaab and helped move funds to the group, prosecutors said. Investigators…

BOSASO, Somalia — U.S. special operations forces, working with Puntland State’s Counter-Terrorism Forces, mounted a helicopter-borne raid on an Islamic State enclave in the Cal-Miskaad mountains on Tuesday, killing senior leaders and capturing fighters, according to U.S. Africa Command and Puntland State officials. The joint operation struck targets in Baallade Valley, with troops assaulting the HabarBajuuke cave complex after an exchange of fire with militants from IS-Somalia, officials said. U.S. Africa Command said the…

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s top military commander said the country’s defense partnership with the United States will remain strong as both nations move to deepen cooperation on counterterrorism and regional stability — including support for Ethiopia’s push for peaceful access to the Red Sea. Field Marshal Berhanu Jula met Friday in Addis Ababa with a U.S. delegation led by Gen. Dagvin R. M. Anderson of U.S. Africa Command. Both sides discussed ways to bolster security in the Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia has…