In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab on Nov. 14-15, 2025.The airstrikes occurred approximately 55 km northeast of Kismayo, Somalia.AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade al-Shabaab’s ability to 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.

Heavy fighting has been reported in the Middle Juba region of Jubbaland State between Somali government forces and Al-Shabaab militants. The clashes took place in rural areas of Jamaame district, a long-time Al-Shabaab stronghold that the group has controlled for more than a decade. According to local media reports, joint Somali government units — including the U.S.-trained Danab Special Forces, and Jubbaland regional troops — claim to have killed more than 50 Al-Shabaab fighters and captured 20 others during the operation. These figures have not been independently verified. The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed that it carried out airstrikes in support of Somali forces. In a statement released on Sunday, 2025, AFRICOM said that, “in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab on Nov. 14–15, 2025,” noting that “the airstrikes occurred approximately 55 km northeast of Kismayo, Somalia.” AFRICOM added that it “continues to work alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali Armed Forces to degrade al-Shabaab’s ability to threaten the U.S. homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad.” The Somali Ministry of Defense has not issued details on the ground operation or the U.S. airstrikes. However, several local media outlets have reported allegations of civilian casualties. BBC Somali cited unverified accounts suggesting that as many as 12 civilians may have been killed, including nine children, though these claims remain unconfirmed. Neither the Federal Government of Somalia nor the Jubbaland administration has publicly responded to these reports. The latest offensive comes amid a rise in U.S. air operations across Somalia. In the south, recent strikes have primarily targeted Al-Shabaab positions in the Shabelle regions and parts of central Somalia. AFRICOM has also conducted airstrikes in Puntland, where Puntland security forces are engaged in ongoing clashes with Islamic State–affiliated fighters in the remote Almiskad Mountains. So far this year, the United States has conducted 99 airstrikes in Somalia. The number of civilian casualties linked to these operations remains unclear due to limited access to many of the affected areas.

In one of the scariest moments in modern history, we're doing our best at ScheerPost to pierce the fog of lies that conceal it but we need some help to pay our writers and staff. Please consider a tax-deductible donation. By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com The US has launched at least five more airstrikes in Somalia in recent days as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace, a heavy US air war that receives virtually no American media coverage. According to press releases from US Africa Command, the US launched airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab in southern Somalia on November 11, November 13, November 14, and November 15. Unverified reports on social media suggest that another US airstrike was launched in the area on Sunday, November 16. The command also announced one strike on November 10 that targeted the ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region. All of the strikes against al-Shabaab were launched to the northeast of the port city of Kismayo. According to al-Shabaab’s news agency, Shahada News Agency, a US and Somali government attack on the town of Jamame on Saturday killed 12 civilians, including eight children, three women, and an elderly man. The Shahada News Agency published photos of dead and wounded children that it claimed were killed in the attack, which it said involved airstrikes and artillery strikes on a civilian area. Baidoa Online, a Somali media outlet, also reported civilian casualties in a suspected US airstrike in Jamame, saying 10 were killed, including eight children. “Witnesses say homes and businesses were destroyed during the strikes. The US military usually targets suspected Al-Shabaab positions in the region, but previous operations have occasionally resulted in civilian casualties,” Baidoa said in a post on X. Other posts suggest the strike may have occurred on Sunday, not Saturday as reported by al-Shabaab’s news agency. AFRICOM offered no details about its airstrike on Saturday besides saying it was launched 55 kilometers to the northeast of Kismayo, which puts it in the vicinity of Jamame. Since earlier this year, AFRICOM has stopped sharing information about casualties in its airstrikes or assessments on civilian harm. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said in its press release on Sunday that announced US airstrikes in the area on November 14 and November 15. Antiwar.com has asked AFRICOM about the claims of civilian casualties and has not received a reply at the time of the publication of this article. The command has been known to undercount civilian casualties in its airstrikes in Somalia. The Somalia National News Agency reported Sunday that the Somali National Army and US-trained Danab commandos conducted operations against al-Shabaab in Jamame, claiming that “heavy losses” were inflicted on the group. The report made no mention of civilian casualties. Hiraan Online, a Somali news site, cited Somali security officials who claimed 56 al-Shabaab fighters were killed and 20 were captured in the operations. The US-backed Somali Federal Government, which is based in Mogadishu, is known for arresting and restricting journalists who report critically on Somalia’s security forces. Those restrictions, plus al-Shabaab’s restrictions on the use of the internet in the areas it controls, and the lack of US media coverage of the US air war, make it very difficult to ascertain the situation on the ground where the US has been conducting airstrikes. Based on Antiwar.com’s count, the latest US bombings in Somalia bring the total number of airstrikes in the country this year to at least 95. President Trump has shattered the annual record for US airstrikes in Somalia, which he previously set at 63 during his first term in 2019. For context, President Biden launched a total of 51 airstrikes in Somalia throughout his four years in office, and President Obama launched 48 over eight years. Please share this story and help us grow our network! Editor’s Note: At a moment when the once vaunted model of responsible journalism is overwhelmingly the play thing of self-serving billionaires and their corporate scribes, alternatives of integrity are desperately needed, and ScheerPost is one of them. Please support our independent journalism by contributing to our online donation platform, Network for Good, or send a check to our new PO Box. We can’t thank you enough, and promise to keep bringing you this kind of vital news. You can also make a donation to our PayPal or subscribe to our Patreon. Dave DeCamp Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave. Post navigation