Africa-Press. The United States is intensifying its military operations against armed groups in Somalia as part of an escalated strategy that began with President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that it carried out new airstrikes on Sunday, February 1, targeting Islamic State positions in the Golis Mountains, southeast of Bosaso in Puntland, as part of an ongoing campaign to curb the group’s influence.
General Dagvin Anderson, AFRICOM’s commander, said the latest strikes represented “a real success,” praising what he described as a reduction in areas previously controlled by Islamic State and forcing its fighters to operate covertly.
According to data from New America, the United States has conducted 149 airstrikes in Somalia since the start of Trump’s second term, with 2025 recording the highest number of strikes in the past two decades of US intervention in the country.
Alongside operations against Islamic State, US forces have continued targeting Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked group. Two airstrikes were carried out on January 21 and 22 southwest of Kismayo.
Despite the military momentum, armed groups continue to carry out major attacks. Notable incidents include Al-Shabaab’s attack on the central intelligence prison in Mogadishu in October and an assault on the US base in Kismayo in September. Research reports link the growing capabilities of these groups to the flow of weapons from the Houthis via the Red Sea.
The US strategy has drawn mounting criticism from human rights organizations over civilian casualties and collateral damage. Eva Buzo, a lawyer with Humanus, an organization supporting civilians affected by airstrikes, said: “Every time civilians are bombed, the number of enemies grows… It is a futile strategy that does not respect the rule of law.”
She added: “People going about their daily lives are killed by bombs falling from the sky. One cannot claim to support the country’s transition toward stable governance without taking responsibility for these strikes.”
