MOGADISHU, Somalia— U.S. Africa Command has intensified airstrikes in Somalia, pushing the annual tally to 109 and signaling a stepped-up campaign against al-Shabaab and ISIS militants in coordination with state forces in Puntland State and Jubaland.
AFRICOM said multiple operations between Nov. 26 and Nov. 28 struck ISIS positions in the rugged Calmiskaad mountains of Puntland State, roughly 37 miles from Bosaso, the region’s commercial hub. The mountainous redoubt has long provided militants with cover and access to smuggling routes along the northern coast.
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A separate strike on Dec. 3 hit an al-Shabaab location near Kobon in Jubaland, in Somalia’s south. The command did not release casualty figures or details on aircraft or munitions used in the recent operations.
The surge follows a recent visit to Somalia by Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the head of U.S. Africa Command, who pledged continued U.S. support to local partner forces. Somali units from Puntland State and Jubaland have been working alongside U.S. advisers as part of a broader effort to degrade militant networks across the country’s north-south axis.
The 2025 total of 109 airstrikes surpasses the 2019 annual record of 63 under then-President Donald Trump, whose first term saw a combined 219 airstrikes in Somalia. Trump, now in his second term, has personally authorized operations targeting Islamic State militants in the country.
By comparison, research from the U.S.-based New America Foundation shows President Joe Biden approved 51 strikes during his four years in office, while President Barack Obama authorized 48 over eight years.
The latest strikes underscore how U.S. forces and Somali partners are pressuring both ISIS cells in Puntland State’s highlands and al-Shabaab strongholds in the south. AFRICOM routinely frames such operations as measures to disrupt attack planning and reduce the groups’ freedom of movement, while supporting Somalia’s federal and state-level security forces.
U.S. officials typically withhold detailed battle damage assessments due to operational security and the difficulty of verifying outcomes in remote terrain. The command did not provide additional information about specific targets or whether any senior militant figures were present at the sites hit in recent days.
Somalia remains a key front in the regional fight against extremist groups aligned with ISIS and al-Qaida. While intensified air operations can blunt militant capabilities, the U.S. strategy also hinges on Somali-led ground offensives, local intelligence cooperation, and efforts to hold recaptured territory in areas where governance and basic services are often scarce.
AFRICOM said it continues to monitor militant activity and coordinate with Somali partners in both Puntland State and Jubaland as operations progress.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
