Africa
US Africa Command announces 2 strikes on militants in Somalia
Stars and Stripes
March 14, 2026
Cargo is offloaded from a C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft during a mission at Baledogle Military Airfield, Somalia, Nov. 24, 2025. (Christian Silvera/U.S. Air Force)
Two U.S. Africa Command airstrikes targeted the militant groups al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia this week.
An airstrike in the area of the Golis Mountains targeting ISIS-Somalia took place on Sunday, the command said in a Monday news release, while al-Shabab was targeted about 37 miles from Mogadishu on Wednesday.
The command did not describe the units involved in either instance, but said the strikes were done in coordination with the government of Somalia.
The strikes come as the U.S. expands operations in Somalia, although its presence overall in Africa is diminished compared to several years ago, when it still maintained bases in Niger.
Ground was broken at a runway expansion project in January at a strategic base in Kenya used by U.S. forces. The U.S. has been making numerous improvements at facilities used by American troops in Kenya, where military outposts are positioned near the border with Somalia. Plus, strikes in Somalia last December brought AFRICOM’s total strikes in the country to a yearly record.
Meanwhile in West Africa, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the commander of AFRICOM, said in February that a team of U.S. military specialists has been installed in Nigeria to help that country in its battle against Islamic militants.
Stars and Stripes reporter John Vandiver contributed to this report.