U.S. Counterterrorism Policy

U.S. Africa Command says it has stepped up airstrikes in Somalia in early January 2026, conducting multiple operations with the Somali federal government against al‑Shabab and the Islamic State affiliate known as ISIS‑Somalia. A Jan. 12 AFRICOM release describes strikes on al‑Shabab militants Jan. 3–4 and Jan. 8 near Buur Heybo, roughly 154 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu, alongside separate Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 strikes on ISIS‑Somalia targets in the Golis Mountains region of Puntland southeast of Bosaso. No casualty figures were released, but AFRICOM frames the missions as part of an ongoing campaign to degrade the groups’ ability to threaten the U.S. homeland, U.S. forces and Americans overseas, following at least 38 U.S. strikes in Somalia between Feb. 1 and June 10, 2025. The article notes that independent monitors have recorded an overall rise in strikes since Donald Trump returned to office in 2024, and cites AFRICOM commander Gen. Michael Langley’s April 2025 Senate warning that unchecked ISIS and al‑Qaeda expansion in Africa could become a direct threat to the United States. The escalation underscores how Somalia remains a live theater in U.S. counterterrorism policy even as public attention is fixed on operations in the Middle East and Latin America.

On Jan. 13, 2026, the State Department and Treasury jointly designated three Muslim Brotherhood chapters, naming the Lebanese chapter a Foreign Terrorist Organization and listing the Jordanian and Egyptian branches as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for allegedly providing support to Hamas. State Secretary Marco Rubio and Treasury Undersecretary John Hurley said the move targets groups that pose risks to U.S. interests and have inspired or funded militants, while GWU expert Nathan Brown warned it will be welcomed by some partners (UAE, Egypt), strain ties with countries that tolerate Brotherhood affiliates (Qatar, Turkey), and likely increase scrutiny of Brotherhood‑linked visa and asylum claims.