US airstrikes in Somalia gather pace as civilian families await answers

US airstrikes in Somalia have risen sharply in Trump's second term, with AFRICOM recording 84 strikes in the first nine months of 2026, while families who lost or saw relatives injured demand accountability.

US airstrikes against armed groups in Somalia have risen sharply in President Donald Trump's second term. According to public records of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), 84 strikes were carried out in Somalia through the end of September 2026. The New America foundation counted 88 over the same period.

Anna Zahn of the conflict monitor Airwars said strikes in Trump's second term have nearly reached the total of his first and run at about four times the rate under Biden. Airwars has documented at least 216 civilians killed or wounded in US strikes from 2007 to May 2025.

What happened in Jamaame

Somali and US officials arrive for a Danab brigade graduation ceremony (file)

AFRICOM confirmed strikes in the southern Jamaame area on Nov. 14 and 15, 2025. A UNHCR-led monitoring network reported 12 civilian deaths between Nov. 16 and 18 and 22,800 people displaced. AFRICOM said it reviewed reports of civilian harm but concluded the evidence was not sufficient to attribute it to US strikes.

Maryam Haji Abdi Guled told Al Jazeera that three of her six children were wounded; one shrapnel fragment near the hip of her 7-year-old son Abdiqadir could not be removed because of the risk of paralysis. Farmer Ali Aden Borrow, 52, said he lost his wife, nine months pregnant, and their unborn child.

Authority returned to commanders

Shortly after Trump took office, authority to approve strikes was returned to military commanders. AFRICOM commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson said the flexibility allows faster responses. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the expanded US support, saying it is "bigger and much easier than before" under Trump.

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