(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) US Africa Command said on Monday that its forces launched two airstrikes in Somalia’s Puntland region, targeting the local ISIS affiliate.
AFRICOM said one strike targeted the Miraale Region in Puntland on May 3, and the other struck the Golis Mountains on May 4. The attacks mark the first known US airstrikes in Somalia this month.
In both strikes, AFRICOM said they were launched in coordination with the US-backed federal government, but the government doesn’t control Puntland, and the US has been backing local Puntland forces against ISIS.
AFRICOM offered no details about potential casualties, saying that specific “details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.” The Pentagon is known for hiding civilian casualties in Somalia, and there has been no accountability for its air campaign in the country due to a lack of media coverage.
The US has also launched several strikes against al-Shabaab, which is engaged in an offensive against the US-backed government in central and southern Somalia. The last known US airstrike against al-Shabaab occurred on April 24.
The Trump administration has significantly increased airstrikes in Somalia after the president loosened restrictions on airstrikes and raids in areas not officially declared combat zones, which applies to any country outside of Syria and Iraq. The new authorities give military commanders more freedom to launch attacks without getting permission from the White House.
AFRICOM has announced a total of 21 airstrikes against ISIS and al-Shabaab in Somalia under the new Trump administration. In 2024 and in the final weeks of the Biden administration in January 2025, AFRICOM announced a total of 10 airstrikes in Somalia.
Last month, the US military used its new authorities to bomb boats off the coast of Somalia that were allegedly smuggling weapons to al-Shabaab. It’s unclear what evidence the US had to support its claim that the boats were carrying arms.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
