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Hiiraan Online Today from Hiiraan Online: Somali Music advertisements AFRICOM confirms consecutive US airstrikes in Somalia’s south and northeast FacebookFacebook messengerTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInTelegramEmail Thursday October 30, 2025 U.S. Navy flight deck crew members observe as an F/A-18 Super Hornet launches from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during flight operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on Aug. 23, 2025. (Official U.S. Navy photo by Frankie Guage) Mogadishu (HOL) — The United States has stepped up its air campaign in Somalia, striking militant hideouts for three consecutive days in what appears to be one of the most intense bursts of activity this year. The operations which were carried out in the country’s south and northeast underline Washington’s enduring military footprint in a nation still grappling with a grinding insurgency nearly two decades after U.S. bombs first fell on Somali soil. AFRICOM confirmed that the first strike occurred on October 26, targeting al-Shabaab militants roughly 25 miles north of Kismayo in southern Somalia. On the same day, Somalia’s federal government said a “precision airstrike” killed an al-Shabaab leader in Bu’ale, more than 100 miles north. The following two strikes, carried out on October 27 and 28, targeted ISIS-Somalia militants in the Al Miskaad mountain range about 53 miles southeast of Bosaso in Puntland. The mountainous terrain, long a militant stronghold, has been the focus of renewed counterterrorism operations by local and U.S.-backed forces. AFRICOM said the latest operations were conducted in coordination with Somali and regional partners but did not provide casualty figures or further operational details, citing security reasons. The command has stopped releasing estimates of militant or civilian deaths since early 2025, stating that “specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.” Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, maintains its own security forces and has been conducting intensified operations against ISIS fighters entrenched in the Cal Miskaad mountains. Residents told local media that militants continue to rely on guerrilla tactics, moving between caves and valleys to evade detection. The increase in airstrikes illustrates Washington’s deepening involvement in Somalia’s counterterrorism campaign. The U.S. has already surpassed the previous record of 63 airstrikes set under former President Donald Trump in 2019. By contrast, President Biden approved 51 strikes over four years, while President Obama authorized 48 in eight years. U.S. involvement in Somalia dates back nearly two decades, beginning with support for Ethiopia’s 2006 invasion that ousted the Islamic Courts Union, a coalition that briefly stabilized Mogadishu before collapsing. Al-Shabaab, which emerged from the remnants of that movement, has waged an insurgency ever since, carrying out bombings and attacks across Somalia and neighboring countries. The ISIS faction now being targeted in Puntland split from al-Shabaab in 2015 and has maintained a foothold in the region’s rugged mountains. Despite repeated offensives, local officials acknowledge that ISIS-Somalia remains capable of launching sporadic attacks. Opinion| Privacy Policy|Sports|Somali Music|Somali Map All Rights Reserved Copyright. © 1999-2025, www.hiiraan.com
