The BBC posted on 15 March 2026 an article titled "'We Will Go Wherever They Hide': Rooting Out IS in Somalia" by Sahnun Ahmed and Scarlett Barter.
In 2025, there were an estimated 800 Islamic State fighters in the Puntland region of Somalia, more than half of them foreigners. The Puntland Defense Forces and American drones are committed to tracking them down.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 26 February 2026 an article titled "Sahel" by Liam Karr and Zoe Sommer.
Russia plans to send 1,000 more Africa Corps soldiers to Mali in the coming months, increasing Russian forces there to 3,500. The Africa Corps may also send more troops to Niger. Current Russian forces in the Sahel have failed to degrade the growing jihadi insurgencies in the region.
Semafor published on 2 February 2026 an article titled "View/Why US Airstrikes in Somalia Are Reaching Record Levels under Trump" by Tomi Oladipo.
The second Trump administration has launched 144 airstrikes so far against al-Shabaab and the Islamic State in Somalia. That is more than half the number during all of Trump's first term.
Aljazeera published on 13 January 2026 an article titled "'Last Straw': Somalia Cuts UAE Ties after Yemen Separatist's Illegal Entry" by Faisal Ali.
Somalia cancelled all deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after UAE-backed Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi illegally entered Abu Dhabi through the breakaway region of Somaliland. Mogadishu had other complaints against the UAE, but this was the final straw. The two countries apparently did not break diplomatic relations.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 4 December 2025 an article titled "Somalia--Islamic State Somalia Province."
Puntland troops supported by US airstrikes have significantly degraded Islamic State jihadi forces in northern Puntland. Nevertheless, the Islamic State remains active in the region.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 17 November 2025 an analysis titled "Somalia at Risk of Becoming a Jihadist State" by Matt Bryden, founder of Sahan, a policy and research center focused on the Horn of Africa.
The author has extensive experience in Somalia and Somaliland. He says al-Shabaab now controls about 30 percent of Somalia's territory, far more than the federal government in Mogadishu, and poses a serious threat of taking the capital. The federal government is heavily reliant on the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission for security.
Somalia's economy is fractured and heavily dependent on three major ports of Kismayo, Mogadishu, and Bossaso while Berbera supports Somaliland. The ports, in turn, empower different federal states that often defy central government authority. The author concludes that Somalia faces a prospect that it may become an illiberal Islamist state.
The Economist published on 24 July 2025 an article titled "Somalia's State-building Project Is in Tatters."
For the past 8 months local forces from the federal state of Puntland, backed with airstrikes by the US and UAE, have been waging an all-out and successful war against the Islamic State. On the other hand, the central government has been losing ground in its battle with al-Shabaab and relations between Mogadishu and the federal states have deteriorated.
The CTC Sentinel published in its July 2025 edition an analysis titled "The Escalation of U.S. Airstrikes in Somalia and the Role of Perceived Threats to the U.S. Homeland" by David Sterman.
In 2025, the United States significantly increased the pace of airstrikes against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab in Somalia. The rationale was a perceived heightened threat of jihadi activity in the homeland by one or both of these groups.
AEI's Critical Threats published on 12 June 2025 an analysis titled "Wagner Out, Africa Corps In" by Liam Karr and Kathryn Tyson.
Russia's Wagner Group formally withdrew from Mali and transitioned the Russian military presence to the Africa Corps. As the Wagner Group pulls out of Mali, al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated insurgents are stronger than ever.
Russia is also trying to transition from the Wagner Group to the Africa Corps in the Central African Republic. Responsibility for Russian operations in Africa will now rest squarely with the Kremlin although Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko may play a key role in the operations.
CTC Sentinel published in May 2025 an analysis titled "Somalia At the Crossroads: Resurgent Insurgents, Fragmented Politics, and the Uncertain Future of AUSSOM" by Daisy Muibu and Yayedior Mbengue.
Al-Shabaab has re-surged, issues remain between the federal government and the Puntland government, and the future of the African Union mission is uncertain. This analysis offers a comprehensive overview of the current security situation and the outlook for Somalia.
The Washington Post posted on 11 February 2025 (front page of the 12 February paper edition) an article titled "The Islamic State Has Regrouped in Somalia -- And It Has Global Ambitions" by Katharine Houreld.
The Islamic State's Somali branch has become its new operational and financial hub with estimates of as many as 1,000 militants under its command. In 2015, the Islamic State broke from the better-known Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia and its aspirations are larger. Islamic State militants come from a variety of countries and the Somali branch provides funding for like-minded groups throughout the region. Its base of operations is the Puntland region of Somalia.
Nigeria's Daily Post published on 3 February 2025 an article titled "ISIS Terrorists Abduct Chinese Nationals in Niger Republic" by Francis Ugwu.
During an attack on Agadez in Niger, Islamic State militants abducted two Chinese employees of the China National Petroleum Corporation. They are presumably being held for ransom.
The Associated Press published on 1 February 2025 an article titled "US Military Conducts Airstrikes against Islamic State Operatives in Somalia" by Tara Copp, Aamer Madhani, and Omar Faruk.
The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on 1 February against Islamic State operatives in the Puntland region of northern Somalia. No details have been released on the results of the strikes.
The International Crisis Group posted on 19 September 2024 a 39-minute podcast titled "Somalia Amid a Swirl of Regional Tensions" with Alan Boswell and Omar Mahmood.
Somalia is insisting that Ethiopia renounce the memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, which Ethiopia refuses to do. Somalia signed a new security agreement with Turkey and followed this with some kind of secret agreement with Egypt, which may include training of Somali soldiers. Turkey and Egypt seem to be working to cooperate in Somalia.
If Ethiopia does not renounce the MOU, Somalia said Ethiopian troops will no longer be permitted to participate in the ATMIS stabilization mission. There is speculation that Egyptian troops will replace them, which would be challenging for Egypt to do. It could also result in a short-term security vacuum.
Both Ethiopia and Somalia are engaged in brinkmanship. This situation leaves openings for al-Shabaab to expand its influence in Somalia. The Islamic State remains operationally insignificant inside Somalia but is playing a larger external role.
The Voice of America published on 12 September 2024 an article titled "Exclusive Interview: US Boosts Diplomacy, Security Support in Somalia" by Mohamed Olad Hassan.
US ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley, reiterated that the United States does not recognize the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland and expressed hope that the third round of talks by Turkey would result in a solution to the disagreement caused by the MOU. Riley also pointed out that the United States is Somalia's largest doner and security partner.
The International Crisis Group published on 12 September 2024 an analysis titled "The Islamic State in Somalia: Responding to an Evolving Threat."
The Islamic State in Somalia has refashioned itself as an important part of the jihadist group's worldwide network. Its chief, Abdulqadir Mumin, has become a key figure in the Islamic State's global leadership. It also poses a challenge for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.
The September 2024 issue of the CTC Sentinel published an article titled "Islamic State-Somalia: A Growing Global Terror Concern" by Caleb Weiss and Lucas Webber.
The Somali branch of the Islamic State is becoming a growing concern. It is recruiting globally and is now linked to international terrorist plots. It has become one of the Islamic State's most important global branches.
Reuters published on 11 September 2024 an article titled "Exclusive: Wagner Lost Veteran Fighters in Mali Ambush, in Setback to Russia's Africa Campaign" by Filipp Lebedev, Felix Light, and Jessica Donati.
Dozens of Russian Wagner mercenaries died in a battle with Tuareg rebels during a desert sandstorm in Mali near the Algerian border. Some were Russian war veterans who survived tours in Ukraine, Libya, and Syria.
The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Sentinel July/August 2024 issue contains an article titled "The Death of an Islamic State Global Leader in Africa?" by Austin Doctor and Gina Ligon.
This article presents an overview of the Islamic State's leader in Somalia, Abdulqadir Mumin, assesses the Islamic State's operations under his leadership, and discusses the effort by the United States to target him in an airstrike.
The Associated Press published on 25 July 2024 an article titled "A Year Has Passed Since Niger's Dramatic Coup. Life Has Become More Dangerous and Desperate" by Chinedu Asadu and Baba Ahmed.
In the year following the military coup in Niger and the overthrow of civilian President Mohamed Bazoum, extremist attacks have increased by five times and the situation is becoming more difficult for the Nigerien people. Western aid has dried up following expulsion of French and American troops from the country. Niger's new alliance with Russia does not appear to be adequate to address its economic and security challenges.
