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Analysis: U.S.-backed airpower reshapes Somalia’s fight with al-Shabab — but can gains hold as peacekeepers depart? Somalia’s government says a combination of U.S.-supported airstrikes and newly expanded ground operations has shifted the momentum in its long war with al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab. Officials tout battlefield gains, especially the retaking of territory long held by the militants and strikes on leadership nodes and bomb-making networks. The turn comes as African Union peacekeepers draw down and Somali forces assume…

Somali opposition says ex-president, ex-PM blocked from Mogadishu airport meeting; government cites security breach Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Friday accused security forces of preventing former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble from entering Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport to attend a scheduled political meeting, escalating tensions ahead of anticipated talks with the federal government. In a…

Somali opposition says security forces blocked former leaders at Mogadishu airport; government cites security breach MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Friday accused federal security forces of preventing former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble from entering Aden Adde International Airport to attend a scheduled political meeting, escalating tensions ahead of anticipated electoral talks with the government. In a statement, the Somali Future…

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and OCP Group, a global leader in plant-nutrition solutions, announced a five-year strategic partnership to accelerate scientific innovation for sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. The collaboration, designed to bolster the IAEA’s Atoms4Food initiative, brings together the IAEA’s expertise in nuclear and isotopic techniques with OCP’s fertilizer science and field reach to address soil fertility, crop productivity and post-harvest safety. The agreement signals an…

BAIDOA, Somalia — At least 10 people were wounded after two days of heavy fighting between Southwest state security forces and armed militia groups rocked Baidoa, shuttering businesses, snarling transport and cutting communications in parts of the city, residents and local officials said. The clashes erupted Wednesday and continued into Thursday, beginning as a land dispute before spiraling into broader unrest with political undertones, according to witnesses. Residents reported the use of heavy weapons in several…

European Union foreign ministers agreed to add Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the bloc’s list of terrorist organizations, a move that aligns the powerful force with groups such as the Islamic State organization and al-Qaida and signals a sharp shift in Europe’s approach to Tehran. “Repression cannot go unanswered,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media, adding that “any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.” The IRGC, created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic…

More than 500 people have been killed in two weeks of protests across Iran, a U.S.-based rights group said, as Tehran warned it would target U.S. bases and Israel if President Donald Trump follows through on threats to intervene on behalf of demonstrators. HRANA said it has verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, and more than 10,600 arrests since the unrest erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring prices before expanding into the largest challenge to the clerical establishment since 2022. Iran has not…

Unrest across Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said Sunday, as Tehran warned it would target U.S. military bases and Israel if President Donald Trump follows through on threats to intervene on behalf of protesters. U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel and recorded more than 10,600 arrests in two weeks of demonstrations that began Dec. 28 over soaring prices before swelling into the largest challenge to Iran’s…

Iran unrest death toll tops 500 as Tehran warns U.S. bases would be targets if Trump intervenes More than 500 people have been killed in two weeks of nationwide protests in Iran, a U.S.-based rights group said, as a senior Iranian official warned that any American intervention would put U.S. military bases and Israel in the crosshairs. HRANA, which compiles reports from activists inside and outside Iran, said it has verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 arrests since…

Iranian security forces have killed at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, during a sweeping crackdown on demonstrations over economic hardship, the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said, as a nationwide internet blackout was reported by monitoring group NetBlocks amid new subsidy reforms. IHR said the latest day of unrest was the deadliest of the 12-day movement, with 13 protesters confirmed killed. The organization’s director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said in a statement that hundreds more have been…