US forces launched at least 25 airstrikes in Somalia in January as the Trump administration has escalated the pace of its record-shattering bombing campaign in the country.
A US Africa Command official told AFP last week that AFRICOM conducted 23 strikes in Somalia in January, and after the story was published, the command announced two more bombings in the country; one on January 29 that it said targeted al-Shabaab in southern Somalia and one on January 30 that was launched against the ISIS affiliate in the northeastern Puntland region.
AFRICOM offered no details about the airstrikes, as it stopped sharing information about casualties and assessments on potential civilian harm early last year. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said in both press releases.
Twenty-five airstrikes in a single month in Somalia is an unprecedented rate of US attacks, and if the pace continues throughout the year, it will result in 300 US airstrikes in Somalia in 2026.
AFRICOM launched at least 124 airstrikes in Somalia in 2025, breaking the previous annual record for US bombings in the country, which President Trump set at 63 during his first term in 2019.
According to New America, an organization that tracks the air war, the US launched more airstrikes in Somalia in 2025 than were conducted during the administrations of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush combined. Despite the unprecedented bombing campaign, the US air war in Somalia receives virtually no media coverage in the US.
