US air power tips balance against Al Shabaab in Somalia

Reporter in Kampala, Uganda

Nation Media Group

US air power is proving decisive in Somalia’s fight against al Shabaab, bolstering African Union operations even as Washington refuses to finance the mission.

It follows a recent offensive in which American aerial firepower enabled Somali forces and the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom) to reclaim strategic coastal towns and weaken the militants’ grip.

At the time, Aussom’s then deputy head of mission, Siyuvile Thandikhaya Bam, told the UN Security Council that Al Shabaab had infiltrated and built bases in the capital and nearby towns, from which it launched attacks on key installations in Mogadishu.Sabiid-Anole lies about 40 kilometres from Mogadishu, while Bariire and Awdheegle are about 60 km and 75 km away respectively.In various forums and media interviews, Aussom head Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene has reiterated that al-Shabaab is no longer an existential threat, having been degraded and pushed further from the capital.Nevertheless, the Al Qaeda affiliate continues to mount attacks on civilians and on security installations, including in Mogadishu, where militants attacked Godka Jilow prison on October 4, 2025, resulting in loss of life.

US air power tips balance against Al Shabaab in Somalia

Conflict

A regional war: Ethiopia troop pullout plan puts Somalia security under new strain

Explainer: Why new war in Ethiopia’s Tigray threatens to trigger wider conflict

Ethiopia, Sudan junta bicker again over RSF support claims

East Africa’s oil rivalry is missing the bigger energy security question

Latest

EA's refinery market is bigger than the map

Abel Mutua: Money, people, and mistakes that shaped me

Kenyan banks shrug off red flags over investment in Treasury bills

Now US reopens door on African combat missions to draw from UN budget

In the headlines

East Africa disease watch queried as Kenya deals with Ebola scare

Kenyan banks shrug off red flags over investment in Treasury bills

Ethiopia, Eritrea draw battle lines as crisis deepens

South Sudan denies plan to eject foreign traders

PRIME America’s exit from UN bodies raises regional fears on stability

PRIME Somalia peace mission extended for another year, but funds crisis persists

Be the First to Know

PRIME A regional war: Ethiopia troop pullout plan puts Somalia security under new strain

Explainer: Why new war in Ethiopia’s Tigray threatens to trigger wider conflict

PRIME Ethiopia, Sudan junta bicker again over RSF support claims

PRIME East Africa’s oil rivalry is missing the bigger energy security question

EA's refinery market is bigger than the map

PRIME Abel Mutua: Money, people, and mistakes that shaped me

PRIME Kenyan banks shrug off red flags over investment in Treasury bills

PRIME Now US reopens door on African combat missions to draw from UN budget

PRIME East Africa disease watch queried as Kenya deals with Ebola scare

PRIME Kenyan banks shrug off red flags over investment in Treasury bills

PRIME Ethiopia, Eritrea draw battle lines as crisis deepens

PRIME South Sudan denies plan to eject foreign traders

America’s exit from UN bodies raises regional fears on stability

Somalia peace mission extended for another year, but funds crisis persists

A regional war: Ethiopia troop pullout plan puts Somalia security under new strain

Ethiopia, Sudan junta bicker again over RSF support claims

East Africa’s oil rivalry is missing the bigger energy security question

Abel Mutua: Money, people, and mistakes that shaped me

Kenyan banks shrug off red flags over investment in Treasury bills

Now US reopens door on African combat missions to draw from UN budget

East Africa disease watch queried as Kenya deals with Ebola scare

Kenyan banks shrug off red flags over investment in Treasury bills

Ethiopia, Eritrea draw battle lines as crisis deepens

South Sudan denies plan to eject foreign traders