U.S. carries out strike against IS in Somalia

U.S. military airstrike targets ISIS in Somalia, killing operatives in Puntland region, AFRICOM confirms no civilian casualties.

The U.S. military carried out an air strike on Saturday (March 29, 2025) against the Islamic State group in the Puntland region of Somalia, killing several IS operatives, Africa Command said.

In a statement, the European-based command said the latest raid was conducted in coordination with the Somali government and hit "multiple ISIS-Somalia targets."

The IS group's Somalia operation is relatively small compared to the Al Qaeda-linked jihadists Al-Shabaab, but it has been gaining strength in semi-autonomous Puntland.

"The airstrike occurred southeast of Bosasso, Puntland, in Northeastern Somalia," the AFRICOM statement said.

"AFRICOM's initial assessment is that multiple ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed," it said.

The latest strike follows a similar operation two days earlier that AFRICOM said complemented "a larger counter-terrorism initiative" under way in Somalia.

And it follows U.S. strikes in February, which Puntland authorities said had killed "key figures" in IS, without giving further details.