US Africa Command announced on Tuesday that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace.
AFRICOM said the strike targeted the ISIS affiliate in northeastern Somalia’s Puntland region, where the US is backing local forces. The command offered no details on the strike other than saying that it was launched to the southeast of Bossaso, a port city in Puntland.
“Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said. Starting in April, the command stopped sharing details about casualties or assessments of civilian harm.
Based on AFRICOM’s count, the bombing brings the total number of US airstrikes in Somalia this year to 44. New America, an organization that tracks the air war, has counted 45 airstrikes, which include one strike that was reported on but not claimed by AFRICOM.
The Trump administration is well on its way to breaking the record for the total number of US airstrikes in Somalia in a single year, which President Trump set at 63 in 2019.
US airstrikes in Puntland could escalate in the coming days and weeks as local Puntland forces announced a new operation against ISIS on Monday. The US has also been supporting the Mogadishu-based Federal Government in its fight against al-Shabaab in southern and central Somalia.
Somali media reported on Monday that there were fierce clashes in Jubaland, southern Somalia, between al-Shabaab and the Danab, a special US-trained and armed military unit, resulting in the death of at least seven al-Shabaab fighters. It’s unclear at this point if the US supported the Danab with airstrikes in the battle, and AFRICOM usually doesn’t announce airstrikes until a few days after they’re launched.
