Two Decades of Somalia Strikes With No End State or Reckoning

Nearly twenty years of U.S. airstrikes in Somalia across five administrations have left al-Shabaab undefeated and civilian casualties poorly tracked. The pace is accelerating—26 strikes in January 2026 alone—while accountability remains elusive. A boy wounded in November 2025 strikes still awaits surgery seven months later, illustrating how post-strike victim support translates unevenly in practice.