During the election campaign, he promised not to start any new wars and claimed the Nobel Peace Prize. But under “Peace President” Donald Trump, the USA is attacking more frequently again, especially from the air – and not just in Iran.
March 7, 2026, 6:37 p.mMarch 7, 2026, 6:37 p.m
Simon Maurer / ch media
Somalia: Attack on Al-Qaeda friends
The US used this aircraft to carry out one of its attacks on targets in Somalia.Image: keystone
In February 2025, the Trump administration expanded its counterterrorism interventions in the region between the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. The initial target was al-Shabaab locations in Somalia. The Islamist rebel group is associated with al-Qaeda and lost almost 200 fighters in the attacks, according to the Washington think tank New America. Accordingly, Trump is said to have approved 126 missions in Somalia last year alone – more than his predecessors Bush, Obama and Biden combined.
Yemen: Operation Rough Rider
Car wreck in the Yemeni capital Sanaa after a US airstrike.Image: keystone
After Israel attacked the Gaza Strip in 2025, Yemen’s Houthi rebels began a wave of attacks on American merchant ships in the Red Sea. Donald Trump responded in March with air strikes on several militia bases. Most observers consider the result to be mixed: the Houthis’ drone attacks have decreased. However, they only ended completely in May 2025 – with the ceasefire in Gaza. The operation cost the USA around a billion dollars.
Iraq: IS deputy bombed away
Islamist Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai lost his life in the US attack in Iraq.Image: X
Also in March 2025, Trump ordered a precision strike on the hideout in Iraq of Abdullah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, the number two leader of the Islamic State terrorist organization. From the American perspective, the mission was successful and ended with the death of the IS deputy. The next day, Trump praised the US military and described the intervention as an example of his “peace through strength” policy. However, pinprick attacks in Iraq are not a Trump invention: They have been around since 2014, when the Obama administration started them.
Syria: Operation Hawkeye Strike
Precise and with devastating effect: American air strikes usually cause great damage.Image: US Air Force
On December 19, 2025, the Americans, together with Jordanian allies, launched another operation against the Islamic State. The operation was in response to an attack in the Syrian city of Palmyra, where US soldiers had been killed and injured a few days earlier. At the time, Trump vowed “serious retaliation,” and his Secretary of War Hegseth spoke of a “declaration of revenge.” The new Syrian leadership promised the USA to cooperate in the plan to fight IS in the country.
Nigeria: Religious conflicts
During Trump’s second term in office, religious interpretations again play a larger role in American missions abroad.Image: keystone
The Trump administration did not remain idle on Christmas Day 2025 either. The president announced that he had bombed various IS bases in Nigeria. According to the US government, the trigger was the targeted murder of Christians in the country, which was caused by the activities of jihadist groups. In his second term, Trump specifically targeted Nigeria over religious conflicts. Since last October The country is back on the list of countries in which the USA complains about a lack of religious freedom.
Venezuela: Successful kidnapping
Images that went around the world: US special troops took Venezuela’s ruler Maduro into custody.Image: www.imago-images.de
It was three days into the new year when Trump had Venezuela’s head of state Maduro and his wife kidnapped. Around 75 of Maduro’s security guards are said to have died. Trump later made it clear that his goal was not regime change, but rather that the USA could benefit from Venezuela’s oil industry. It was the only mission of this importance to date in which the US deployed ground troops under Trump. Trump prefers commando-style action. To this day, Venezuela remains a difficult place for the USA.
Caribbean: Military destroys drug boats
Shortly before the hit: With this view, the US military targeted a smuggling boat in the Caribbean.Image: US Southern Command/X
Not only countries have been the target of US bombs in recent months, but also the boats of drug smugglers in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The government says it wants to combat the illegal trade in substances such as fentanyl. At least 45 boats are said to have been hit so far, and at least 151 people have been killed. However, Trump’s approach to combating drugs is controversial domestically: several Democratic politicians have spoken out against this strategy. (aargauerzeitung.ch)