(U.S. Africa Command)
The U.S. military has launched nearly 50 airstrikes in Somalia so far this year, a record-setting pace for U.S. Africa Command as it steps up attacks against Islamic militants in the country.
The latest strike targeted al-Shabab fighters about 80 miles northwest of the southern coastal city of Kismayo, AFRICOM said in a statement Monday. That brings AFRICOM’s strike tally through the first three months of the year to 49, according to the command.
“AFRICOM, alongside the federal government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade al-Shabaab’s ability to threaten U.S. forces and our citizens abroad,” the statement said.
AFRICOM did not release details about units and assets involved in the strike for operational security reasons.
In 2025, AFRICOM conducted roughly 125 airstrikes against militants in Somalia, where Islamic State fighters have been trying to gain more of a foothold in recent years. That strike total surpassed the previous all-time high of 63 in 2019.
This year, the strikes are coming at an even faster pace.
AFRICOM has been targeting militants across a wide swath of territory. ISIS Somalia operatives are enclaved in the north around the Golis Mountains, an area frequently targeted by AFRICOM. Formed in 2015 by al-Shabab defectors, the ISIS branch in Somalia has more recently drawn foreign fighters to its ranks.
The al-Qaida-aligned al-Shabab group operates across a larger part of Somalia and has been a force in the country for decades.
U.S. forces have operated for years in Somalia, providing training and advisory support to local troops battling the insurgents.
Last year’s surge in strikes coincided with a directive by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that granted more decision-making authority to AFRICOM commanders on when to launch strikes.
