Joint U.S.-Somali Air Strikes Hit Al-Shabaab Targets
The Somali and U.S. militaries carried out air strikes in central Somalia late yesterday that killed twelve al-Shabaab fighters and destroyed a ship in Somali waters that it had identified as carrying weapons for the militant group, the Somali government said (Reuters)
Hours earlier, fighters from al-Shabaab had attacked a town some 150 miles north of the capital (France24)
Al-Shabaab Captures Key Strategic Town in Central Somalia
Al-Shabaab militants captured the strategic town of Adan Yabaal in central Somalia after intense fighting; the town had been a key base for government operations against the group (Reuters)
Somalia Opens Oil Sector to U.S. Firms
Somalia announced the reopening of its oil sector to U.S. companies following the lifting of force majeure in the Nugaal Valley (Hiiraan)
Somalia Launches Voter Registration Ahead of Local Elections
Somalia initiated a voter registration campaign in preparation for local elections scheduled for June, the first such effort in several decades; meanwhile, the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council announced sanctions on fifteen al-Shabaab affiliates (Bloomberg;Bloomberg)
Somalia Grants Starlink License to Operate Nationwide
Somalia’s National Communications Authority has granted a license to Elon Musk’s Starlink, enabling the satellite internet service to operate across the country (Bloomberg)
Trump Administration Reverses Food Aid Cuts to Somalia
The administration informed the World Food Program (WFP) that it reversed aid cuts after USAID funds to the WFP in fourteen countries had been mistakenly cut, according to a U.S. Department of State spokesperson; USAID and UN officials stated that funding was restored for programs in Ecuador, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Somalia, and Syria, though funding cuts remain in Afghanistan and Yemen (AP)
Al-Shabaab militants launched a mortar attack on the AUSSOM base inside Mogadishu’s airport compound, which also houses foreign embassies; no casualties were reported (Horn Observer)
Somali Army Announces Killing of Seventy Al-Shabaab Militants
The Somali army reported the killing of seventy al-Shabaab militants in recent military operations in the Lower and Middle Shabelle regions (Gulf Times)
Turkey Pledges Enhanced Support for Somalia in Fight Against Al-Shabaab
Turkey has committed to increasing military training for Somali forces and enhancing intelligence sharing to combat al-Shabaab as part of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral security and economic ties (The Eastleigh Voice)
Al-Shabaab Militants Relocate to Bay and Bakool Regions After Defeats
Following significant losses in the Middle Shabelle region due to intensified military operations, al-Shabaab militants have moved into the Bay and Bakool regions, prompting concerns about the group’s resurgence in these areas (Hiiraan)
Al-Shabaab Targets Somali Presidential Convoy in Bomb Attack
Al-Shabaab militants attempted to assassinate President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud by attacking his motorcade with a roadside bomb in Mogadishu; the president was unharmed (Reuters)
Somali Forces Conduct Airstrikes Killing Fifty Al-Shabaab Militants Following Hotel Siege
In retaliation for the Beledweyne hotel attack, Somali security forces conducted airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab positions, resulting in the deaths of at least fifty militants (VOA)
Al-Shabaab Gunmen Attack Hotel in Beledweyne, Resulting in Multiple Casualties
Al-Shabaab militants detonated a car bomb and stormed the Cairo Hotel in Beledweyne, leading to a siege that resulted in the deaths of at least six people, including traditional elders and military officers; Somali security forces eventually ended the standoff, killing all attackers (AP)
Somali Airstrike Eliminates Senior Al-Shabaab Commander in Middle Shabelle
A Somali army airstrike killed senior al-Shabaab commander Yusuf Dihinnas and several fighters in the Middle Shabelle region, marking a significant blow to the group’s leadership structure (GCTN)
Ethiopia Conducts Airstrikes on Al-Shabaab in Somalia
The Ethiopian military carried out several airstrikes against a series of al-Shabaab bases in the Middle Shabelle region; the strikes come as Somalia and Ethiopia work to increase military cooperation under the Ankara Agreement (AllAfrica)
United Nations Security Council Extends Sanctions on Al-Shabaab
The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to extend the sanctions regime on Al-Shabaab; the regime allows member states to intercept vessels carrying certain items, including arms imports and charcoal exports, to and from Somalia (UNSC)
Somali government forces successfully repelled an assault launched by Al-Shabaab fighters in the Boos-Hareeri area of the Aadan-Yabaal district as the militant group continues its offensive in the central regions of Middle Shabelle and Hiiraan (AllAfrica)
However, Al-Shabaab shared photographic evidence proving it retained control of Biya Cadde and a local military base after the Somali national army claimed it had ousted the group from the town; the operation, if confirmed, stands as a further success in the offensive the organization has mounted in central and southern Somalia since late February (FDD)
Somali Armed Forces Claim Successful Killing of Forty Al-Shabaab Affiliates
The Somali government reported that it had eliminated as many as forty Al-Shabaab terrorists in the Biya Cadde area of Hirshabelle state during an operation conducted alongside international partners; the organization had launched an assault on the town on March 1, 2025 (Reuters; FDD)
Meanwhile, U.S. Africa Command conducted several “collective self-defense airstrikes” against al-Shabaab near Ceel Baraf, less than one hundred miles from the capital city of Mogadishu; though the exact number of casualties has not been released, the command estimates several terrorists were killed (AFRICOM)
Somali National Army Retakes Control of Critical Town
The Somali government announced it had retaken control of Balcad, a small town approximately thirty kilometers northeast of Mogadishu, after an assault from Al-Shabaab affiliates earlier in the day (FDD; Hiiraan)
Al-Shabaab had previously shared photographic evidence proving it had taken control of Balcad, a small town approximately thirty kilometers northeast of Mogadishu, the national capital; the group alleged it had killed more than twenty government soldiers after launching an assault on a local army base (Horn Observer)
Somali Government Claims Seventy Al-Shabaab Operatives Killed in Recent Operation
The Somali Information Ministry announced the National Army and local forces had neutralized over seventy Al-Shabaab affiliates during a military operation in Hirshabelle state in southern central Somalia; the government additionally claimed it had seized a large arms cache and several tactical vehicles from the terrorists (Arab News)
130 Al-Shabaab Militants Killed After Somali Military Repels Attacks
Somali officials claim that government soldiers defeated the Al-Shabab militants, who attacked four government military bases in the Middle Shabelle region, though the government did not verify casualty numbers for its forces (VOA)
U.S. Carries Out New Airstrikes Against Islamic State Militants, Killing Sixteen
U.S. forces targeted Islamic State forces in Puntland as Puntland military leadership confirmed at least sixteen deaths and the destruction of a bomb factory in the region’s Cal Miskaad mountain range (VOA)
At Least Ninety-Seven Killed as ISIS Militants Attack Military Base in Puntland
Puntland’s security forces claimed that at least seventy ISIS members and at least twenty-seven Somali soldiers died in the attack; the self-proclaimed Islamic State forces used “car bombs and suicide motorbikes” to attack the base before a gunbattle ensued (VOA)
Somalia Launches Anti-ISIS Offensive in Semi-autonomous Puntland Region
A Puntland official said its military forces have captured 250 square kilometers (nearly one hundred square miles) from the self-declared Islamic State, known as ISIS, since December 31; Reuters verified Puntland forces were patrolling formerly ISIS-controlled areas (Reuters)
Though al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabbab is larger than ISIS in Somalia, the latter group has become increasingly important to its parent network in the past few years, analysts said (Crisis Group)
Fighting in Puntland Kills Fifty-Seven Islamic State Militants, at Least Fifteen Soldiers
Puntland security officials confirmed multiple clashes between Islamic State militants and Puntland forces in the mountainous areas of the Somali state; these incidents serve as part of the Puntland government’s “Hilac Campaign” to eradicate extremist groups in the state (VOA)
U.S. Reports Strike Targeting Self-Declared Islamic State in Somalia
An initial assessment found that “multiple operatives” were killed in the strike, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said; Trump pulled some seven hundred U.S. troops out of Somalia in his first term, while Joe Biden reinstalled some 450 (NYT)