Africa

Military news from Africa.

Latest in Africa

FILE: F-16 Fighting Falcons based in the Central Command area of operations conduct armed aerial patrols over Somalia on Jan. 2, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Trevor T. McBride/U.S. Air Force)

US forces bomb al-Shabab in Somalia over eight days

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Aug 17, 2025

DAABDAMALE, PUNTLAND, SOMALIA - JANUARY 25: Soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces walk back from a cave where Islamic State fighters lived until recently being flushed out on the frontline near Daabdamale, Puntland, Somalia on January 25, 2025. Islamic State in Somalia recruits foreign fighters and brings them into Somalia to try to gain ground in what is becoming a key nerve center for the Islamic State. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

US forces capture ISIS finance chief in Somalia

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 26, 2025

A F/A-18F flies above a desert environment.

US airstrikes surge in Somalia, surpassing 2024 numbers

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on May 31, 2025

A fighter jet takes off down the runway of an aircraft carrier.

US carries out multiple airstrikes on ISIS in Somalia

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Feb 2, 2025

Special operations forces assigned to the Ghana Special Boat Squadron prepare to board the Italian Navy Comandante Bettica PGH-492 for a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure exercise off the coast of Takoradi, Ghana, May 16, 2024. The VBSS brought together participants from both Exercise Flintlock and Obangame Express; these exercises are multinational military operations aimed to enhance security and counterterrorism capabilities in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Pearl)

US looks to West Africa as new hub for counter-terrorism mission after leaving Niger, Chad

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Sep 12, 2024

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman of U.S. Africa Command visits troops at Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger on May 30, 2024. (photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Dyer/U.S. Air Force)

US troops to leave Niger bases this weekend and in August

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jul 6, 2024

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Luis Fernando Tello and Airman 1st Class Kameron Lee, 768 Expeditionary Air Base Squadron Security Forces Flight Response Force Airmen, at Air Base 101, Niamey, Niger, March 1, 2022. The 768th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, plays a key role in counter-violent extremism operations in the Sahel by providing infrastructure, sustainment, operational mission generation, and base defense. Security Forces Airmen provide defense-in-depth while strengthening relationships with Nigerien security forces, primarily the Forces Armées Nigériennes (FAN), in support of more stable, prosperous Africa. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Byers)

After Niger exit, list of possible US allies includes Libya, general says

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jun 24, 2024

Two ex-U.S. soldiers met in Ukraine, then went on ‘international crime spree’

Two ex-U.S. soldiers met in Ukraine, then went on ‘international crime spree’

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Jun 3, 2024

US airstrike in Somalia kills three ISIS members

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jun 1, 2024

Nigerien Air Base 201

US troops to fully leave Niger by mid-September

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on May 19, 2024

Army Major smuggled rifles, pistols and a shotgun to Ghana in rice barrels

Army Major smuggled rifles, pistols and a shotgun to Ghana in rice barrels

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Apr 30, 2024

After Niger withdrawal, Chad may want U.S. troops to leave

After Niger withdrawal, Chad may want U.S. troops to leave

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Apr 22, 2024

US agrees to pull troops from Niger

US agrees to pull troops from Niger

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Apr 20, 2024

Army’s first M10 Booker, ‘Another Episode,’ christened by families of soldiers

Army’s first M10 Booker, ‘Another Episode,’ christened by families of soldiers

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Apr 18, 2024

Niger cuts ties with US military

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Mar 17, 2024

US drone strike may have killed 2 doctors held hostage

US drone strike may have killed 2 doctors held hostage

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Feb 20, 2024