The US launched an airstrike against al-Shabaab in southern Somalia during an attack overnight, January 3 to January 4, according to a press release from US Africa Command.
“The airstrike occurred in the vicinity of Jilib, Somalia, approximately 100 km north of Kismayo,” AFRICOM said. The command offered no other details about the strike, but the date and location are the same area where Somali media reported that the US and Somali government forces launched a helicopter raid supported by drones against al-Shabaab.
According to the Somali Guardian, the US-backed Somali military claimed the attack killed 15 al-Shabaab militants and wounded eight others. Al Shabaab gave a different account, saying that the operation killed one civilian and wounded several others. Neither side offered evidence, and the claims are unverified.
AFRICOM offered no details after it stopped sharing casualty estimates or assessments of civilian harm last year. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said.
The US launched airstrikes in Somalia’s northeast Puntland region, targeting the small ISIS affiliate in the region on January 1, January 2, and January 3, meaning the US bombed Somalia for the first four days of 2026, signaling President Trump will continue his record-shattering bombing campaign in the country.
According to Antiwar.com’s count, the US launched at least 128 airstrikes in Somalia in 2025, more than double the previous annual record of 63, which President Trump set in his first term in 2019. According to New America, an organization that tracks the air war, the airstrikes launched in 2025 are more than were conducted in Somalia 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.