Trump Administration Expands Air War in Somalia Against ISIS-Somalia and Al-Shabab.
The United States has sharply escalated its military campaign in Somalia, carrying out more than 100 airstrikes so far this year—over ten times the number launched during President Biden’s final year in office—marking one of the most aggressive counterterrorism operations in the region in more than a decade.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the figures Friday, underscoring a significant shift in the Trump administration’s counterterrorism posture across the Horn of Africa.
The strategy centers on dismantling ISIS-Somalia cells in the north and degrading al-Shabab’s entrenched networks across central and southern Somalia.
The latest strike, conducted Tuesday in Puntland, involved a multi-hour confrontation that local officials described as one of the most intense U.S.-backed engagements in the area in recent years.
While AFRICOM maintained that no American troops conducted ground operations, multiple local sources reported the use of MQ-9 Reaper drones followed by helicopter deployments around a large cave complex believed to house ISIS leadership.
AFRICOM stated only that “specific details about units and assets will not be released,” citing operational security.
Local reporting indicated that up to ten ISIS fighters were killed and that a senior militant figure may have been among the casualties.
Somali authorities said the operation was conducted in full coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, which has long sought deeper U.S. involvement against insurgent groups.
The escalation comes as Washington attempts to prevent ISIS-Somalia from evolving into a new regional safe haven capable of attracting foreign fighters—a pattern familiar from Iraq, Syria, and parts of the Sahel.
Among Western security analysts, there is growing concern that ISIS-Somalia’s recruitment networks remain active even as the group’s territorial control has shrunk.
But the intensified U.S. focus on ISIS has raised alarms about an emerging imbalance.
Al-Shabab, al-Qaeda’s East African affiliate and still the most powerful militant organization in Somalia, has exploited the shift in U.S. targeting priorities to reassert itself across central and southern regions.
Ahmed Soliman, a senior researcher at Chatham House, warned that al-Shabab is “leveraging shifting international focus to reconsolidate” in areas where Somali forces remain overstretched or divided.
The Federal Government’s strained relationships with regional states such as Puntland and Jubaland have complicated joint operations, allowing militants to re-establish influence in contested areas.
Despite these structural challenges, the Trump administration has made clear it intends to push harder. Former AFRICOM commanders have framed the campaign as necessary to prevent Somalia from becoming a launchpad for global terrorism. “The U.S. is actively pursuing and eliminating jihadists,” former commander Gen. Michael E. Langley said earlier this year.
With warplanes now flying routine missions from U.S. Navy carriers and the tempo of strikes steadily rising, Washington’s counterterrorism efforts are entering a new phase—one defined by rapid escalation, high-intensity engagements, and a renewed willingness to target militant networks before they can regenerate.
Whether this makes Somalia more stable—or simply shifts the conflict into a new cycle—remains an open question.
