airstrikes

U.S. forces struck more than 70 Islamic State group targets across central Syria in what President Donald Trump called “very serious retaliation” for a Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans, U.S. Central Command said. The return strikes hit multiple sites with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery, CENTCOM said, employing more than 100 precision munitions against known Islamic State infrastructure and weapons depots. U.S. officials said a lone gunman affiliated with the militant group carried out the…

MOGADISHU — U.S. Africa Command carried out airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab militants in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region on Dec. 18, following clashes sparked by a militant assault on government and allied militia positions, the command said. The strikes occurred near Nur Dugle, approximately 215 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu. AFRICOM described the action as part of ongoing cooperation with Somali authorities to diminish the extremist group’s operational capacity. “AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of…

AFGOYE, Somalia — At least 12 al-Shabaab militants were killed in an overnight operation near Afgoye, a key supply corridor outside the capital, the Somali government said, underscoring stepped-up pressure on the insurgent group across multiple fronts. Security officials said the operation unfolded in the vicinity of Jambalul, close to Afgoye, where forces targeted bunkers the militants were preparing to use. The raid escalated into a fierce firefight. Militants responded with mortar fire that caused civilian casualties,…

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…

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Mogadishu — U.S. Africa Command carried out seven new airstrikes in Somalia between Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, pushing this year’s total to at least 109 strikes — a record level of U.S. military activity in the country. The latest operations targeted ISIS-linked militants in Puntland State and an al-Shabaab site in southern Jubaland, AFRICOM said. The command described a rapid sequence of strikes focused on a remote mountain zone southeast of Bosaso, a longtime militant hideout, and a separate strike near the Kenyan border. It did…

BANGKOK — Thailand launched air strikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after both countries accused the other of breaching a cease-fire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Thai military said, marking the sharpest escalation in months along one of Southeast Asia’s most volatile frontiers. The Thai military said at least one Thai soldier was killed and four were wounded in fresh clashes around two areas of Ubon Ratchathani province after its troops came under Cambodian fire. “The Thai side has now…

Israeli airstrikes hit towns in south Lebanon on Wednesday as the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, a day after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives met for direct talks under a U.N. ceasefire mechanism. The strikes struck Mahrouna, Jbaa, Majadal and Baraasheet, Lebanon's official National News Agency reported, and an AFP photographer saw smoke rising above Jbaa. The Israeli army said it "began conducting strikes on Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon" after…

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…

BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland State’s counterterrorism forces say an airstrike carried out with international partners killed at least five fighters from the Islamic State group (ISIS) as they fled through the Cal-Miskaad Mountains, intensifying a sweeping operation in northern Somalia. Puntland State officials say the strike hit the Barakalash area of the Baalade Valley. At least five ISIS militants were killed, according to the Puntland State Counter-Terrorism Forces. Further details are expected from U.S. Africa…