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US refocuses air campaign in Somalia on Shabaab
The United States is on pace for another record year of military strikes in Somalia in 2026. At least 74 strikes have been carried out so far, the majority targeting Al Qaeda’s Shabaab—a clear shift from 2025, when the US set a record for strikes and focused most of them on the Islamic State’s local affiliate.
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Islamic State release highlights the foreign-fighter nature of its recent assault in Somalia
The Islamic State released images of 12 men who took part in its recent suicide assault in northern Somalia. All of them were foreign fighters, showing the growing internationalization of this Islamic State wing.
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US launches airstrike on Islamic State in Somalia
Yesterday’s drone strike was the first US airstrike on the Islamic State in Somalia this year.
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Islamic State in Somalia suffers setbacks despite uptick in claimed activity
The month of May saw a relative spike in Islamic State claims inside Somalia compared to earlier months. However, this comes in the backdrop of several Puntland security operations against it.
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Islamic State trains in Somalia’s Puntland
The camp is at least the second one ran by the Islamic State in Somalia’s northern Puntland region.
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Islamic State Somalia eulogizes foreign fighters
The video provides the first known instance of a Western foreign fighter within the Islamic State Somalia’s ranks.
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Shabaab kills pro-Islamic State commander
With Shabaab continuing to target ISS members and pro-ISS members within its own ranks, it is unlikely Fiile will be the last commander to be killed by the al Qaeda branch.
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Analysis: Islamic State expanded operations in Somalia in 2018
The Islamic State’s loyalists claimed more operations in Somalia in 2018 than in 2016 and 2017 combined. The group has also expanded its operations to include tactics normally associated with its larger rival, Shabaab.
