US airstrikes in Somalia surge under Trump as civilian families seek answers

The US has carried out at least 84 strikes in Somalia this year, nearly matching Trump's entire first term. Families in the south say they have received no answers, while AFRICOM says evidence does not tie the harm to US strikes.

At least 84 US airstrikes hit Somalia between January and September this year, according to US Africa Command records, bringing the total for President Donald Trump's second term close to that of his entire first term. Airwars researcher Anna Zahn said the pace is roughly four times that of the Biden administration.

Behind the numbers are families in southern Somalia who say they have received no answers. In Jamaame, where AFRICOM confirmed strikes on Nov. 14 and 15, 2025, farmer Nuur Ali Nuur said his wife was paralyzed from the waist down after debris hit her, leaving him in debt for her treatment.

Disputed civilian toll

An AFRICOM delegation at a training facility in Somalia (file)

A UN refugee agency-led monitoring network recorded 12 civilian deaths in the area between Nov. 16 and 18 and some 22,800 people displaced, though it said attributing harm to specific forces was difficult. AFRICOM said it reviewed reports of 10 to 12 civilian deaths but found the evidence did not meet its "more likely than not" standard. It did not say whether it had interviewed survivors.

In Puntland, a Sept. 13, 2025, strike in Badhan killed clan elder Omar Abdullahi, whom AFRICOM later described as an al-Shabab arms dealer. Puntland's criminal investigation department said he had no criminal record, and Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told parliament he could have been questioned instead.

Looser rules, fewer details

Strike approval authority was handed back to military commanders soon after Trump took office, and since early 2025 AFRICOM has largely stopped reporting the number of fighters killed in individual strikes, according to Airwars. US law allows up to $3 million a year in discretionary payments for civilian harm; AFRICOM commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson said in July that forces had "provided reparations" on some occasions.

US airstrikes in Somalia surge under Trump as civilian families seek answers