In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabaab on Apr. 21, 2026. The airstrike occurred in the vicinity of Wadajir, approximately 90 km southwest 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 U.S. forces and our citizens abroad.Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.

NISA forces, in collaboration with international partners, carried out a heavy-handed operation in the Guulane area of Middle Shabelle region, killing more than 33 Al-Shabaab members, according to a statement from the NISA Command. The first operation targeted a house where Al-Shabaab leaders and militants were staying, killing at least 15 members. In addition, the headquarters where they were staying and planning to use it to organize militants and plot insecurity was destroyed. Meanwhile, successive operations targeting militants hiding in the same Guulane area resulted in the killing of more than 18 other members. In addition, the forces burned a military vehicle used by the group for transportation and movement of militants. The operations came after national intelligence confirmed that 90 militia members had been gathered in the area, who were planning to use them in anti-security operations. These measures have significantly weakened the organization and planning of Al-Shabaab. Security officials said the operations are part of ongoing efforts to eliminate Al-Shabaab and ensure overall security in the country.

Ciidanka NISA oo kaashanaya saaxiibada caalamka ayaa fuliyay howlgallo qorsheysan oo culus oo ka dhacay deegaanka Guulane ee gobolka Shabeellaha Dhexe, kuwaas oo lagu dilay in ka badan 33 xubnood oo ka tirsanaa Al-Shabaab, sida lagu sheegay qoraal ka soo bacay Taliska NISA. Howlgalka koowaad ayaa lagu beegsaday guri ay ku sugnaayeen horjoogeyaal iyo maleeshiyaad ka tirsan Al-Shabaab, halkaas oo lagu dilay ugu yaraan 15 xubnood. Sidoo kale, waxaa la burburiyay xaruntii ay ku sugnaayeen oo ay qorsheynayeen inay u adeegsadaan abaabulka maleeshiyaadka iyo maleegidda falal amni darro. Dhanka kale, howlgallo isxig-xigay oo lagu beegsaday maleeshiyaad ku dhuumaaleysanayay isla deegaanka Guulane ayaa lagu khaarijiyay in ka badan 18 xubnood oo kale. Intaa waxaa dheer, ciidamada ayaa gubay gaari Cabdi-bile ah oo ay kooxda u adeegsaneysay daabulka iyo dhaq-dhaqaaqa maleeshiyaadka. Howlgalladan ayaa yimid kaddib markii sirdoonka qaranku xaqiijiyay in maleeshiyaad gaaraya 90 xubnood lagu uruuriyay deegaanka, kuwaas oo la qorsheynayay in loo adeegsado falal amniga lid ku ah. Tallaabooyinkan ayaa si weyn u wiiqay abaabulkii iyo qorshihii ay wadeen Al-Shabaab. Saraakiisha amniga ayaa sheegay in howlgaladu ay qeyb ka yihiin dadaallada joogtada ah ee lagu ciribtirayo kooxda Al-Shabaab iyo sugidda amniga guud ee dalka.

April 28, 2026April 29, 2026 Mogadishu – (WDN) – Reports from southern Somalia indicate a series of coordinated air operations targeting Al-Shabaab positions across parts of Lower Juba and Lower Shabelle, with multiple senior figures reportedly killed in precision strikes involving unmanned aerial vehicles and attack helicopters. According to security sources, the operations struck several locations, including Jilib in Lower Juba and Yaaqbariweyne and Kunya-Barrow in Lower Shabelle. Somali intelligence is said to have played a key role in providing actionable information that enabled the targeting of militant leadership positions. In Jilib, an airstrike reportedly hit a vehicle carrying foreign-linked Al-Shabaab operatives, killing around five senior commanders. Additional strikes in the Kunya-Barrow area are said to have targeted a training facility used by foreign fighters affiliated with the group. Among those reported killed in the training site strike are individuals identified as Anwar Hassan, believed to be of Yemeni origin, Shuraak, said to be Syrian, and Muzamil Abu-Haashi, reportedly Afghan. In a separate operation in Sablaale, security sources report that nearly 30 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed, including a senior commander responsible for overseeing the group’s military operations in the area. The reported operations mark a significant escalation in sustained counter-insurgency efforts against Al-Shabaab’s entrenched presence in southern Somalia, where the group continues to maintain fortified positions despite ongoing military pressure. WardheerNews

AFRICOM says the airstrike targeted the ISIS affiliate in Somalia's northeastern Puntland region US Africa Command said in a press release on Tuesday that its forces launched an airstrike in Somalia on April 20, as the Trump administration continues a record-shattering bombing campaign in the country with virtually no US media coverage. AFRICOM said the strike targeted the ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region and that it was launched in a remote mountain region about 55 miles southeast of the Gulf of Aden port city of Bosaso. The command offered no other details about the strike. US-backed Puntland forces said in a statement on April 22 that its forces were conducting operations with US air support and claimed that eight ISIS members had been killed in a cave. The Puntland Counterterrorism Operations posted pictures and videos of the bodies of alleged ISIS fighters. It’s unclear if they were killed in the April 20 US strike or if more have been launched since then. “An air and ground operation in which the Puntland government’s partners in the United States participated in a bombing, targeted a cave where ISIS terrorists were hiding,” the US-backed force said on Telegram. “Initially, the Army found the bodies of 8 ISIS terrorists and weapons in the cave. The operation is still ongoing.” The April 13 US airstrike brings the total number of US bombings in the country this year to at least 57. The rate of US airstrikes slowed somewhat during the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, but it appears to have picked back up amid the very fragile ceasefire. AFRICOM is still on track to break its annual record of bombings in the country, which President Trump set at 124 last year, breaking a previous record of 63, which he set in 2019. The US has also been launching airstrikes against al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, where major battles between US-backed government forces and al-Shabaab fighters have taken place in recent weeks. The US has been involved in Somalia for decades and has been fighting al-Shabaab since the George W. Bush administration backed an Ethiopian invasion in 2006 that ousted the Islamic Courts Union, a Muslim coalition that briefly held power in Mogadishu after taking the city from CIA-backed warlords. Al-Shabaab was the radical offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union, and its first recorded attack was a suicide bombing in 2007 that targeted Ethiopian troops occupying Mogadishu. It wasn’t until 2012 that the group pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda. The ISIS affiliate in Puntland started as an offshoot of al-Shabaab and first emerged in 2015. 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.

Eight ISIS militants were killed in an air and ground operation in Cal-Miskaat mountains, northeastern Somalia on Wednesday, per multiple sources. The militants reportedly ambushed an ambulance and killed at least two people. Security forces called for an airstrike which hit a cave, killing seven. Soldiers went to the scene and shot dead an eighth militant. There has been apprehension in the Edison recently that the relentless military operations that took place last year slowed down, perhaps giving the militants an opportunity to regroup and attempt to carry out ambushes.