Somalia Wipes Out 12 Al-Shabaab Militants in US-Backed Airstrike

 The Somali government confirmed that an airstrike conducted by its air force, with U.S. support, killed 12 Al-Shabaab militants in a remote area of Lower Shabelle on April 14, 2025, according to a defense ministry statement reported by Reuters. 

The operation targeted a militant hideout 40 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, destroying a weapons cache and a training camp, based on intelligence pinpointing a planned attack on the capital, said Minister of Security Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail.

No civilian casualties were reported, though independent verification is pending, per BBC. The strike, involving two U.S.-supplied drones, marks Somalia’s 15th anti-Al-Shabaab operation in 2025, reducing militant attacks by 20% compared to 2024’s 150 incidents, per ACLED data. 

Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate controlling 30% of southern Somalia, has not commented, but the group’s 2024 revenue from extortion dropped to $80 million, down 10%, per UN estimates. Somali forces, backed by 2,000 U.S. troops, aim to weaken the group’s 7,000-strong network before a planned AU mission transition in December 2025, per AP News.