airstrikes

The United States has sharply escalated airstrikes and partner operations in Somalia, pushing the fight against the Islamic State group and al-Shabab deeper into militant strongholds to blunt plots aimed at the U.S. and Europe, according to Lt. Gen. John Brennan, deputy commander of U.S. Africa Command. Brennan, a former Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, said the tempo is designed to deny militants time, space and capability to plan attacks. “There’s ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — U.S. Africa Command says it has carried out 23 airstrikes in Somalia so far this year targeting Al-Shabaab and ISIS, underscoring a stepped-up counterterrorism tempo that U.S. officials say is coordinated with partners across the continent. AFRICOM spokesperson Maj. Mahalia Frost said Wednesday the increase is part of a broader U.S. effort against ISIS in Africa, noting recent American strikes in Nigeria. She said instability in Somalia and Nigeria is intertwined, arguing that regional cooperation and…

Israel struck targets across Gaza in what it called a response to a “blatant violation” of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, as Washington moved to stand up a new “board of peace” to steer the next phase of a fragile plan for the war-battered territory. The Israeli military said it hit “several terrorists, including commanders from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organisations across the Gaza Strip,” saying the operation answered an incident in western Rafah earlier this week in which “armed terrorists fired at IDF troops.”…

U.S., allied forces launch large-scale strikes on ISIS in Syria after deadly Palmyra attack U.S. and allied forces carried out large-scale strikes against the Islamic State group across Syria on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said, the latest response to a Dec. 13 assault in Palmyra that killed three Americans. “The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which CENTCOM said was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra.” The…

Trump orders strikes in Venezuela, announces Maduro capture, as U.S. flexes muscle in multiple theaters Donald Trump returned to office vowing to be a peace president. Nearly a year later, he is leaning hard on military force. The U.S. president on Tuesday ordered large-scale strikes in Venezuela and announced that Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country — a stunning escalation that follows a Christmas Day operation in Nigeria and fresh warnings aimed at Iran. Trump said U.S. forces were “locked and…

U.S. Airstrikes Target Islamic State-Aligned Camp in Nigeria On Christmas Day, U.S. airstrikes launched from MQ-9 Reaper drones targeted camps linked to Islamic State-aligned militants in Sokoto state, northwestern Nigeria. While the operation has drawn attention, details remain scant. No civilian casualties have been reported. U.S. Africa Command (Africom) announced on December 26 that "multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps." However, the lack of transparent information has raised concerns among human…

U.S. strikes Islamic State targets in northwest Nigeria at Abuja’s request, military says The United States carried out an airstrike against suspected Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria, U.S. Africa Command said, in an operation coordinated with Nigerian authorities that killed multiple militants in Sokoto state. Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed the action as part of ongoing security cooperation with Washington that includes intelligence sharing and “strategic coordination to target militant groups.” Foreign…

Russia launched an early morning air attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s military said, days after a U.S.-led round of peace talks in Miami concluded without a clear breakthrough. The Kyiv military administration said on Telegram that “air defence forces are working to eliminate the threat in the sky over the capital,” urging residents to remain in shelters until authorities issue an all-clear. Officials did not immediately report casualties or damage, and the full scale of the assault was not immediately known. The strike came hours…

Airstrikes target al-Shabab bases in central Somalia after clashes, sources say WARSHEEKH, Somalia — Airstrikes struck villages in the Warsheekh district of Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region, targeting al-Shabab fighters who had recently infiltrated the area, local sources said. The strikes were concentrated around the Jabad-godane area, which in recent days had been occupied by the militant group, according to the sources. The air campaign followed ground clashes between government troops and fighters loyal to al-Shabab as…

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military launched large-scale air and ground strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets across central Syria on Friday, a retaliation U.S. officials said was tied to a deadly Dec. 13 attack on American personnel in the country. The operation, which U.S. Central Command said hit more than 70 targets, was supported by Jordanian fighter jets and drew on a mix of U.S. F-15 and A-10 aircraft, Apache helicopters and HIMARS rocket systems. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were aimed at…