US Africa Command said in a press release on Wednesday that its forces launched an airstrike in Somalia on June 2 that targeted the ISIS affiliate in the northeastern Puntland region, as the Trump administration continues bombing the country at a record pace.
AFRICOM said the strike occurred southeast of the port city of Bassaso and claimed it was conducted in “coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia.” However, Puntland is not controlled by the US-backed government, and the US has been backing local Puntland forces that are fighting ISIS on the ground.
The command offered no other details about the strike as it has stopped sharing casualty estimates or assessments of potential civilian harm. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said.
Garowe Online, a media outlet based in Puntland, reported that US airstrikes on June 2 targeted four locations, suggesting it was a significant attack. The report also said that Puntland forces killed 10 ISIS fighters in recent operations.
“Fresh airstrikes were carried out by the US Africa Command, allies of the Puntland government. The strikes took place in four locations between the Balade and Mirale valleys, targeting fleeing ISIS terrorists who were entering caves of hide,” an official told Garowe Online.
Besides bombing ISIS in Puntland, the US has also been conducting airstrikes against al-Shabaab, which has been on the offensive against the US-backed government in southern and central Somalia.
Based on AFRICOM press releases, the June 2 attack brings the total number of US airstrikes in Somalia in 2025 to 31. According to numbers from New America, an organization that tracks the US war in Somalia, Monday’s airstrike would bring the yearly total to 37.
If the pace continues, the administration is set to break the record for the most US airstrikes in Somalia in a single year, which Trump set at 63 in 2019.
