American military intervention in Somalia (2007–present)

American military intervention in Somalia
	Part of War on Terror, Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa and the Somali Civil War
	; MQ-9 Reaper drone, commonly used over Somalia by U.S. forces.
Date	January 7, 2007 – ongoing; (18 years, 5 months, 1 week and 5 days)
Location	Somalia
Status	Ongoing U.S. backed Ethiopian invasion and rise of Al-Shabaab (2006–2009); African Union Intervention; (2007–2022); Kenyan intervention; (2011–2012); Newly formed federal government established in 2012; Majority of US Troops withdraw in January 2021; Redeployment of US troops in 2022; African Union Transition Mission in 2022; Drone strikes targeting al-Shabaab and Islamic State – Somalia Province; United States supports Somali forces and a multinational African Union force with drone strikes, intelligence and training; U.S. Army Continues Operations in Puntland Against ISIS;
Belligerents
United States United States Army; United States Marine Corps; United States Air Force; United States Navy; CIA; In support of:; Ethiopia; Somalia; Puntland; ATMIS; (since 2022) Burundi ; Djibouti ; Ethiopia ; Kenya ; Uganda; AMISOM; (until 2022) Burundi ; Djibouti (from 2011) ; Ethiopia (from 2006) ; Ghana ; Kenya (from 2011, officially from 2012) ; Nigeria (from 2010) ; Sierra Leone (from 2013) ; Uganda (until 2017);	Islamic Courts Union (until 2008); al-Shabaab; al-Qaeda; Alleged support:; Iran; North Korea Hizbul Islam (until 2009–10; 2012–14); Islamic State in Somalia
Commanders and leaders
Donald Trump; (2017–2021, 2025–); Joe Biden; (2021–2025); Barack Obama; (2009–2017); George W. Bush (2007–2009); Pete Hegseth; (2025–); Lloyd Austin; (2021–2025); Mark Esper; (2019–2020); Jim Mattis; (2017–2019); Ash Carter; (2015–2017); Chuck Hagel; (2011–2015); Leon Panetta; (2011–2013); Robert Gates; (2007–2011)	Ahmad Diri; (Emir of al-Shabaab); Fuad Qalaf (former); Abu Mansur ; Moktar Ali Zubeyr †; Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki #; Mohamed Said Atom ; Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad ; Hassan Dahir Aweys ; Omar Iman (former); Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki †; Abu Musa Mombasa (former); Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan †; Fazul Abdullah Mohammed † Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mumin; (leader of ISS); Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi; (ISIL caliph since 2023); Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi †; (ISIL caliph 2022–2023); Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi †; (ISIL caliph 2022); Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi †; (ISIL caliph 2019–2022); Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi †; (ISIL caliph until 2019); Mahad Maalin †; (ISS deputy); Abdihakim Mohamed Ibrahim ("Dhoqob") †; (ISS deputy)
Strength
450 personnel	Al-Shabaab: 7,000–9,000 fighters (Dec 2017)
Casualties and losses
3 service members killed; 2 contractors killed; 1 CIA paramilitary officer killed; 5 wounded; 5 aircraft destroyed; 1 aircraft damaged; 2 Oshkosh M-ATV; several fuel tanker destroyed	575+ killed (2017–18); 116 militants killed (2019) (per AFRICOM); 1,372–1,670 militants killed (per New America); 1,185–1,313 militants killed (per The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)
	34–113 civilians killed (per New America); 12–97 civilians killed (per The Bureau of Investigative Journalism); 22 Galmudug soldiers mistakenly killed; 78–153 civilians killed (per Airwars)

Since the early 2000s, the United States has provided military support to the Transitional Federal Government and the Federal Government of Somalia in conflicts. The Government of Somalia has asked for U.S. involvement multiple times. U.S. military actions in Somalia date back to the 1990s; however, following the September 11th attacks, military action was justified as counterterrorism. The Obama and Trump administrations conducted drone and fighter aircraft strikes, advisory missions, and training; provided intelligence; and attacked al-Shabaab militants. Two U.S. special operations personnel, two contractors, one US Army soldier, and a CIA paramilitary officer have died during operations in Somalia.

Robert Moore, a public policy advisor, has outlined various justifications for US intervention in Somalia, including the 2001 AUMF which authorizes the President to use force against the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks and their allies (al-Shabbab declared an alliance with al-Qaeda in 2012). Additionally, proponents argue for military intervention for humanitarian purposes, citing the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, suggesting that international intervention could have prevented the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Moore, however, critiques these justifications.

In late 2020, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of most US troops from Somalia by 15 January 2021. The Department of Defense confirmed the completion of troop withdrawal on 17 January 2021. Despite this, the US has continued training allied forces, conducting limited airstrikes, and special operations.

In May 2022, President Joe Biden accepted a Department of Defense request to redeploy US soldiers to Somalia to combat al-Shabaab insurgents, as reported by a government spokesman.

The United States Army stationed in Puntland's Bari region continues to maintain its operations and will not pull out of the region in response to double ongoing Puntland anti-ISIS campaign.