US Africa Command said on Wednesday that its forces launched an airstrike in northeastern Somalia’s Puntland region on November 18, as the Trump administration continues bombing the country at a record pace.
AFRICOM told Antiwar.com on November 17 that it has launched 96 airstrikes in Somalia so far this year, making the November 18 attack the 97th US bombing in Somalia of 2025. The administration has shattered the previous record for total US airstrikes in Somalia in a single year, which President Trump set at 63 during his previous term in 2019.
AFRICOM offered no details about the November 18 strike besides that it targeted the ISIS affiliate in Puntland and was launched about 40 miles to the southeast of the port city of Bosaso. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said.
The US backs local security forces in Puntland, as the Federal Government based in Mogadishu doesn’t control the region. Puntland forces have been on the offensive against ISIS fighters hiding in caves in the remote Caal-Miskaad mountains and have received heavy air support from the US in recent months.
The Puntland Counter-Terrorism Operations X account said that AFRICOM carried out an airstrike against “ISIS terrorists” on Wednesday afternoon, suggesting the US launched another airstrike in the area that hasn’t yet been confirmed by AFRICOM.
The US has also been launching airstrikes against al-Shabaab in southern Somalia and provided significant air support for an offensive in Somalia’s southern Jubaland region, during battles on November 13, November 14, and November 15. According to local media reports, a suspected US airstrike on the town of Jamame in Jubaland over the weekend killed 12 civilians, including eight children.
