100th Somalia strike of year shows AFRICOM mission that outpaces even US action in Caribbean
By JOHN VANDIVER STARS AND STRIPES •
November 24, 2025
Over the weekend, U.S. Africa Command carried out its 100th airstrike of the year in Somalia in its campaign against Islamic militants in east Africa. (Gerald Willis/U.S. Air Force) U.S. Africa Command over the weekend carried out its 100th airstrike of the year in Somalia, showcasing how a campaign against Islamic militants in east Africa now represents one of the American military’s most aggressive operations worldwide.
The milestone came with a Saturday airstrike that targeted Islamic State militants in the vicinity of the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia, AFRICOM confirmed Monday. The number of AFRICOM airstrikes in Somalia this year far exceeds that of all previous years and is on a pace to potentially double the previous one-year high of 63 carried out in 2019. In addition, the strikes are occurring at a faster clip than the Pentagon’s campaign against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea.
Since early September, U.S. forces have launched at least 21 separate strikes against suspected traffickers in the Caribbean and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. By comparison, at least 28 U.S. strikes on militants in Somalia have occurred during that same time frame, according to AFRICOM reports.
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https://www.stripes.com/theaters/africa/2025-11-24/somalia-airstrikes-africom-19870528.htmlSource - Stars and Stripes
