Ending the United States’ “forever wars” was one of Donald Trump’s loudest promises during his 2024 campaign. He repeatedly told supporters that American blood and treasure should no longer be spent on endless conflicts overseas. However, less than two weeks into his second term, President Trump authorised a series of air strikes in Somalia that signalled anything but an end to America’s military footprint abroad.
On February 1, Trump announced that US forces had targeted senior members of the Islamic State in Somalia (IS-Somalia), claiming the group posed a direct threat to the United States. “These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States,” he wrote on his social media platform X. The strikes reportedly hit caves and remote hideouts in the Golis Mountains of northeastern Somalia, an area long known to host cells of ISIL fighters.
This marked the first major overseas military operation of Trump’s new administration, and it set the tone for what would become a dramatic escalation in US military engagement across multiple theatres. In the five months since the Somalia strikes, the US military has launched coordinated operations in Yemen, increased its support for Israel’s war in Gaza, and even targeted nuclear infrastructure in Iran.
In the Horn of Africa alone, the tempo of American drone and air strikes has surged. Data from the think tank New America shows that US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has carried out at least 43 air strikes inside Somalia in 2025—a dramatic increase compared to the previous year. These strikes were reportedly launched in coordination with the Somali federal government, though details about how much control Mogadishu actually has over these operations remain murky.
More than half of the air strikes have focused on IS-Somalia, a relatively small but growing jihadist group with ties to ISIL’s global network. The remaining strikes targeted al-Shabab, the more established al-Qaeda affiliate that controls vast rural areas in southern Somalia. Pentagon officials claim that the focus on IS-Somalia reflects intelligence assessments suggesting the group is increasingly involved in financing operations and coordinating attacks for ISIL-affiliated cells across East Africa and even parts of the Middle East.
“The threat from IS-Somalia has evolved,” one senior US defence official told reporters in April. “This group is not only planning attacks regionally but is acting as a conduit for funding and communications with other ISIL branches.” According to AFRICOM, several of the recent strikes targeted what were described as “high-value individuals” believed to be coordinating logistics for ISIL factions outside of Somalia.
The Somali government, under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has publicly welcomed the air support, insisting that the fight against terrorism requires strong international partnerships. But privately, some Somali officials have raised concerns about the long-term consequences of repeated American strikes. Civilian casualties, though often denied by AFRICOM, have been reported by local media and international human rights organisations.
“The Americans say they are helping, but when a drone kills a family in a village, it’s al-Shabab or ISIS that gains,” said a senior Somali intelligence officer who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They use these mistakes to recruit.”
In Puntland, where IS-Somalia has its strongest foothold, local leaders have also expressed frustration at being sidelined. “We need weapons and training, not just drones,” said one Puntland security commander. “You cannot defeat insurgents from the air alone. You need forces on the ground.”
The growing reliance on air power echoes similar strategies used by US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq during Trump’s first term. While initially effective in eliminating high-value targets, such campaigns often failed to bring long-term stability and sometimes fuelled resentment among local populations.
Critics of the administration have already begun to question the president’s strategy. “He promised to end endless wars,” said Senator Chris Murphy during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “But what we’re seeing is a widening of US military engagement, not a drawdown.”
In the Middle East, the administration’s moves have also stoked tensions. Strikes in Yemen and support for Israel’s Gaza offensive have drawn condemnation from several Arab and Muslim-majority nations. Iran, following the US’s alleged strike on its nuclear facilities, vowed retaliation. US bases in Iraq and Syria have come under attack in recent weeks, suggesting that the region may be entering a new phase of instability.
Back in Somalia, the situation remains fragile. Al-Shabab continues to carry out bombings in Mogadishu, while IS-Somalia has intensified its recruitment in Puntland. Meanwhile, American drones hover in the skies, and civilians brace for the next explosion.
Though President Trump continues to frame these operations as necessary acts of defence, the contradiction between his rhetoric and actions has become harder to ignore. The promise to end the “forever wars” appears to have given way to a presidency once again defined by military operations abroad—just with a new set of targets and a fresh rationale.
