US Africa Command announced on Wednesday that its forces launched an airstrike in Somalia a day earlier that targeted al-Shabaab just north of Mogadishu.
The command refused to share any details about the strike, saying, “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.”
The attack comes as the US-backed federal government is facing an offensive from al-Shabaab that may threaten its control over Mogadishu. The threat is real enough that, according to The New York Times, State Department officials recently suggested closing down the US embassy in Mogadishu and evacuating most US personnel.
The Times report, which was published April 10, said that other administration officials, including Sebastian Gorka, the top counterterrorism official on the National Security Council, were pushing for the US to escalate its air campaign against al-Shabaab.
The continued US airstrikes in Somalia suggest that the Trump administration is doubling down on propping up the federal government, which appears as weak as ever and controls little territory inside Somalia’s internationally recognized borders.
The latest strike against al-Shabaab marked the fifth time the US bombed Somalia this month, but the other four airstrikes targeted the small ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region. In that fight, the US is backing local Puntland forces since the federal government has no control over the area.
Based on AFRICOM press releases, the US has carried out at least 24 airstrikes in Somalia under the current Trump administration, which marks a significant escalation of the US air war in the country.
For comparison, in 2024 and in the final weeks of the Biden administration in January 2025, AFRICOM announced a total of 10 airstrikes in Somalia.
The increased US airstrikes in Somalia are the result of President Trump easing restrictions on airstrikes and raids in areas not officially declared combat zones, which applies to any country outside of Syria and Iraq. The new authorities give military commanders more freedom to launch attacks without getting permission from the White House.
