U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al Shabaab southwest of Bariire in central Somalia on August 17. The airstrike was in support of operations led by partner forces against terrorists in the area. AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade al Shabaab’s ability to plan and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad.Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.

U.S. forces carried out a series of airstrikes against al-Shabab in Somalia at the start of the month, the latest escalation of the American involvement in the country. U.S. Africa Command confirmed that American aircraft “conducted a series of airstrikes against al Shabaab in the vicinity of Bariire in central Somalia” between Aug. 1-8.  between August 1-8, 2025. “The airstrikes were in support of a military ground operation led by partner forces against terrorists in the area,” AFRICOM’s statement said. AFRICOM did not provide additional details or specifics on the strikes, citing operational security. According to reports in local media, including BBC News Somali, the Somali military and Ugandan troops on the African Union mission to the country captured the town of Bariire after a week of fighting. The Somali government did not mention U.S. involvement, but AFRICOM’s statement confirms American support from the skies. ”al-Shabab suffered a crushing defeat with approximately 120 terrorists neutralized, over 100 wounded, dozens more captured. They also abandoned their weapons,” Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said in a statement. Get Task & Purpose in your inbox Sign up for Task & Purpose Today to get the latest in military news each morning. It’s unclear how many were killed as a result of American airstrikes, or what aircraft and munitions were used in the strikes.  U.S. forces have regularly been active in Somalia, supporting the federally recognized government in its fight against al-Shabab, which previously held large swaths of the country. Much of that has been in training ground forces but also air support. American forces have also carried out extensive operations against the Somali chapter of ISIS, conducting airstrikes and raids. Last month the U.S. captured ISIS-Somalia’s finance chief in a joint operation. AFRICOM did not immediately disclose that, but local Somali forces announced the details. Since the start of the second Trump administration, the American military has ramped up its air war in Somalia following a noticeable scaling back of operations under the Biden administration. Since January there have been nearly 60 airstrikes, more than all airstrikes conducted under Biden. Top Stories This Week New America, which is tracking airstrikes in Somalia and other countries that the U.S. is operating in, reported that five strikes were carried out during the Aug. 1-8 operations. One strike occurred per day for the first four days, and then the fifth happened on Aug. 8. According to New America’s data, U.S. forces carried out 13 airstrikes in Somalia in June and another six across July. The operations in Bariire in the first eight days of August account for nearly the same as the previous month.    Task & Purpose Video Each week on Tuesdays and Fridays our team will bring you analysis of military tech, tactics, and doctrine.

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The US- trained Danab Special Forces inflicted heavy losses on the Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle as the operation against Al-Shabaab gathers momentum on several frontlines, leaving hundreds of fighters dead within a short span.According to Somalia’s Ministry of Defence, with the help of international partners, the Danab Special Forces killed over 100 fighters in Awdheegle following intensive clashes, Monday, further showcasing the resilience in liberating strategic towns.The ministry revealed that some of those killed were senior Al-Shabaab commanders following precision airstrikes, which destroyed tunnels and bunkers as the Danab Special Forces made ground offensives to recover the territory.The state media reports that Somalia’s elite Forces launched the offensive late on Sunday, but fighting continued until Monday when the strategic town of Awdheegle was liberated from the fighters who had been in charge for months.This followed a string of government gains in nearby Sabiid, Caanoole, and Bariire. In Barire,the national army, with the help of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces attached to the African Union SuDport and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), managed to recover the town, killing over 100 militants as well.Since July, Somali security forces – with support from the AU troops – have stepped up offensives against the al- Qaida-linked extremist group in Lower Shabelle, a region long regarded as an al-Shabab stronghold.There is a deliberate effort to degrade Alshabaab militants in southern and central Somalia, with the government making massive investments that have yielded results.The government of Somalia has however been accused of slowing down the efforts.The country is under pressure to contain the group in the coming days before the exit of both the AUSSOM and the US Africa Command soldiers who have been helping the country to counter the group, as well as ISIS militants in northern Somalia.Staff Reporterhttps://hornlife.comStaff Reporter is a general byline used for news and articles produced by the Horn Life editorial team. It represents collaborative reporting, breaking news updates, and stories where multiple contributors are involved.Content published under Staff Reporter upholds Horn Life’s editorial standards, delivering accurate, balanced, and timely information to our readers.

The US-backed government said its forces conducted an operation in southern Somalia and claimed it killed more than 100 al-Shabaab fighters US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release on Wednesday that its forces conducted an airstrike to the southwest of Bariire, a town in southern Somalia, on August 17, marking at least the 58th US airstrike in Somalia this year. The command said that it launched the strike against al-Shabaab in support of US-backed government forces and offered no other details. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,’ AFRICOM said. The US-backed Somali Defense Ministry said in a press release on August 18 that the Danab, a special US-trained military unit, conducted a major operation against al-Shabaab in Awdheegle, a town that’s just six miles southwest of Bariire, putting it in the area where AFRICOM said it conducted the strike. The Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out with support from “international partners” and that it targeted “fortifications and hideouts used by al-Shabaab militants.” The ministry claimed that over 100 al-Shabaab militants were killed in the attack and didn’t share any information about its own casualties. The ministry said that al-Shabaab’s “defensive tunnels and bunkers were destroyed through precision airstrikes,” suggesting the US could have launched more than one strike. Antiwar.com asked AFRICOM if it could confirm that its forces were involved in the operation but hasn’t yet received a reply. From August 1 to August 8, AFRICOM provided air support to government forces and the African Union force, known as AUSSOM, in a battle to retake Bariire. AFRICOM told Antiwar.com that it launched five airstrikes during the week-long battle. While the US-allied forces retook Bariire, al-Shabaab has been gaining significant territory in southern Somalia overall in an offensive it launched in February, taking dozens of towns and villages. The US-backed government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is considered very weak and has been losing the support of clans it previously relied on to fight al-Shabaab. The US air war in Somalia gains virtually no media coverage in the US, even though the Trump administration is bombing the country at a record pace. At 58 airstrikes, the administration is well on its way to breaking the annual record, which President Trump set at 63 in 2019 during his first term. Besides bombing al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, the US has also been launching airstrikes against the ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region, where the US backs local forces. Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave. Join the Discussion! We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed. For more details, please see our Comment Policy.