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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Has the US confirmed any drone strikes on Somalia since President Biden took office?

By Lisa Freedland
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NO

Since President Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the U.S. appears to have paused drone strikes on targets in Somalia, after years of using strikes to try and weaken terrorist groups based in the country.

Data from the nonprofit organization Airwars (which tracks military actions and civilian harm claims in conflict zones) shows that four drone strikes have hit Somalia since Biden’s inauguration. The U.S. Africa Command told Airwars its last strike was Jan. 19. The command suggested that other actors, including Ethiopia, were responsible.

Airwars data shows that Somalia was struck 35 times during the Obama administration, and 292 times during the Trump administration by alleged U.S. drone strikes. The U.S. set new records for strikes on Somalia each year between 2013 and 2019, rising to 63 in 2019. As of Dec. 1, 2020, the U.S. military had reported 50 strikes on Somalia during the year.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Airwars Airwars: US strikes in Somalia, Biden administration
Airwars Airwars: US strikes in Somalia, Trump administration
Airwars Airwars: US strikes in Somalia, Obama administration
Business Insider: There have been zero reported drone strikes since Joe Biden took office
Time: The Trump administration's air strikes in Somalia are on the rise again—and civilians are paying the price
Military Times: AFRICOM conducts 50th airstrike in Somalia amid US troop relocation in Africa
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.