Imagine a forgotten war zone in 2025 that's seeing more American firepower than any other place on Earth, yet it hardly whispers in the headlines—Somalia, the shocking hotspot of U.S. aggression. But here's where it gets controversial: with at least 87 drone strikes, raids, and other military operations this year alone, this East African nation is on track to become the bloodiest battlefield for American forces, and that's probably an underestimate. And this is the part most people miss—it's not Venezuela or the Caribbean that's dominating Pentagon priorities right now; it's this protracted conflict that's been simmering for two decades.
Let me walk you through this step by step, in a way that's easy to follow, even if you're new to these global tensions. On a recent Sunday, a U.S. aircraft—likely an unmanned drone—targeted a location about 50 miles from Kismayo in Somalia. U.S. Africa Command, the branch responsible for the operation, issued a brief announcement (you can read it here: https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36129/us-forces-conduct-strike-targeting-al-shabaab?ref=forever-wars.com), but it was remarkably vague. No details on casualties, no confirmation if anyone was harmed, and certainly no word on what mission objective was accomplished. They simply stated it 'targeted' al-Shabaab, a terrorist group allied with al-Qaeda that the U.S. has battled ineffectually since around 2006. For AFRICOM, it seemed like just another routine day in this ongoing saga.
That particular incident marks, by my tally, the 87th instance of U.S. military action in Somalia announced by AFRICOM in 2025. And keep in mind, this figure might be low. Some of these reports cover multiple events, including aerial bombardments and ground-level assaults. The New America Foundation, a think tank tracking these matters, counts 114 U.S. strikes in Somalia for the year (check their data at: https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/reports/americas-counterterrorism-wars/the-war-in-somalia/?ref=forever-wars.com), including some not disclosed by AFRICOM. Their estimates suggest that between 115 and 292 individuals—ranging from militants to civilians, with some unidentified—have been killed this year by American forces and their local Somali allies. To put it mildly, this is unprecedented.
To help beginners grasp the scale, let's compare it to the past. The highest number of U.S. drone strikes in Somalia in a single calendar year before this was 63, back in 2019 under President Donald Trump's first term (as reported in this piece: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-ramped-up-drone-strikes-in-americas-shadow-wars/?ref=forever-wars.com). That was a sharp jump from 47 in 2018, which itself was an increase from 35 in 2017. (These numbers come from the book REIGN OF TERROR, page 268 in the paperback version: https://www.amazon.com/Reign-Terror-Destabilized-America-Produced/dp/1984879774?ref=forever-wars.com). Overall, New America records 443 U.S. strikes on Somalia since President George W. Bush started this pattern in the early 2000s. Strikingly, 333 of those—about 75%—occurred during Trump's presidencies.
This underscores a broader trend: While much attention has rightfully been paid to America's increasing hostility toward Venezuela (like this analysis: https://www.forever-wars.com/pete-hegseth-and-adm-mitch-bradley-belong-in-prison/) and the significant military presence building in the Caribbean to support it (as explored here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/opinion/monroe-doctrine-trump.html?searchResultPosition=1&ref=forever-wars.com), Venezuela isn't the focal point of U.S. military efforts in 2025. Somalia holds that dubious honor.
It's a conflict that has never received media coverage matching its longevity or ferocity, allowing it to intensify dramatically without much notice in American discourse. This is the unfortunate reality of how we've normalized the War on Terror. Honestly, we at FOREVER WARS have been part of this oversight. Our coverage of Somalia has been spotty at best, and we're committed to improving that—because silence in journalism can be as damaging as the strikes themselves.
While we don't have full data yet on how this conflict influences Somali migration to the U.S.—that's something we'll investigate further in future pieces—it's telling that the Trump administration is ramping up its internal crackdown on Somali-Americans and other Black communities in places like Minnesota (as detailed in this report: https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-leaders-say-us-citizen-was-wrongfully-arrested-by-ice-agents/?ref=forever-wars.com), even as it fuels Somalia's instability more than ever. Similar to the Venezuela situation, some observers shake their heads at the irony of a government sowing the seeds of migration crises while condemning them. But to me, this isn't irony—it's strategy. Refugee movements, which are exploited by far-right groups and inadequately defended by others, including some liberals (see this coverage: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/7/harris-meets-guatemalan-president-tackles-immigration?ref=forever-wars.com), serve as political leverage for nativists. Why would they want the flow to end when it empowers their agendas?
Shifting gears, Guantánamo Bay's detainee population swelled by 22 individuals on Sunday, bringing the total to 730, according to New York Times journalist Carol Rosenberg (in her live updates: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12/14/us/trump-news/0bc063e9-4cba-5588-ad66-9d4fdc8d31e2?smid=url-share&ref=forever-wars.com). This marks the first such influx in two months. Notably, these arrivals, transferred from ICE facilities in Louisiana, might include a novel group: five individuals deemed 'high threat' by a defense official, potentially housed in the Camp Delta complex—the very wartime detention units most associate with Guantánamo's notorious War on Terror history.
Speaking of eerie echoes from that era, a federal court judge ruled earlier this month that the Trump administration oversteps its legal bounds by using Guantánamo as an extension of domestic deportation policies (beyond short-term holding of sea arrivals at the U.S. base in southeast Cuba). Judge Sparkle Sooknanan of the D.C. District Court (a Biden appointee, for context: https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/content/district-judge-sparkle-l-sooknanan?ref=forever-wars.com) based her decision on this NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/us/politics/guantanamo-migrants-deportation-ruling.html?ref=forever-wars.com. However, she declined to mandate the closure of the migrant facility, despite requests from the ACLU. Without that closure order, the ruling lacks real teeth. Judge Sooknanan aptly noted that Guantánamo has symbolized widespread abuse and endless imprisonment for two decades. Yet, her decision leaves open the possibility for the president to persist in using it as a cage for migrants. And this is the part most people miss—how easily old abuses resurface under new guises.
On a heartbreaking note, words fail me for the appalling antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday. As we began lighting Hanukkah candles the night before—a modest festival celebrating light amid darkness—we mourned the victims. Many know of the heroic actions of Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Muslim individual who subdued the assailant (covered here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3wkey5p33o?ref=forever-wars.com). His bravery highlights the solidarity that can build safety and strength, not just for Jewish communities, but for all of us. It's the beacon we must follow through these troubling times.
A quick correction: An earlier draft of this piece mistakenly cited the 2025 death toll from U.S. operations in Somalia as ranging from 1,855 to 2,558. The accurate figure is 115 to 292 casualties, while the higher numbers reflect the overall total killed by U.S. actions in Somalia since the start.
Before we wrap up, a little self-promotion: My superhero spy thriller WALLER VS. WILDSTORM, co-written with Evan Narcisse and illustrated by the talented Jesús Merino, is out in a hardcover edition (grab it here: https://www.amazon.com/Waller-Vs-Wildstorm-Spencer-Ackerman/dp/1779517513/?ref=forever-wars.com). If you're after signed four-issue sets, Bulletproof Comics has them (and they're selling fast: https://www.bulletproofcomix.store/p980/WallervsWildstormsignedSet%21.html?ref=forever-wars.com). They also offer signed copies of my IRON MAN series with Julius Ohta (check out: https://www.bulletproofcomix.com/store/p988/IronMan%231SignedbySpencerAckerman.html?ref=forever-wars.com)—support Brooklyn's own! Plus, IRON MAN VOL. 1: THE STARK-ROXXON WAR, collecting the first five issues, is now in trade paperback (available at: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Man-Vol-Stark-Roxxon-War/dp/130295881X?ref=forever-wars.com), with signed copies at Bulletproof. Don't forget to pre-order IRON MAN VOL. 2: THE INSURGENT IRON MAN (pre-order link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/777657/iron-man-vol-2the-insurgent-iron-man-by-spencer-ackerman/?ref=forever-wars.com).
And for those interested in deeper dives, no one's prouder of WALLER VS. WILDSTORM than its predecessor, REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 ERA DESTABILIZED AMERICA AND PRODUCED TRUMP (now in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and Kindle: https://bookshop.org/p/books/reign-of-terror-how-the-9-11-era-destabilized-america-and-produced-trump-spencer-ackerman/15725547?gclid=CjwKCAjwqZSlBhBwEiwAfoZUIC2Uib4pB7cMqWC1-X2Nh27ovRVqeHoMPCbw9Ol4yuKZhAMWu93tRoCtMQAvD_BwE&ref=forever-wars.com). Coming soon: THE TORTURE AND DELIVERANCE OF MAJID KHAN (more details: https://foreverwars.ghost.io/book-two-majid-khan-iran-troops/?ref=forever-wars.com).
What do you think—should the U.S. be expanding its military footprint in Somalia, or is it time to rethink this endless cycle of strikes? Is reviving Guantánamo for migrants a justified security measure, or a dangerous overreach echoing past mistakes? And how do events like the Sydney attack remind us of the real costs of division? I'd love to hear your takes—agree, disagree, or somewhere in between—drop them in the comments below!
