Africa

1941–1945 · $4.8T · 405,399 US deaths

The deadliest war in human history. US entered after Pearl Harbor. Fought on two fronts across three continents.

2007–Present · $5B · 8 US deaths

Ongoing U.S. military operations against al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia since 2007, conducted primarily through AFRICOM drone strikes, special operations raids, and 'advise and assist' missions. The U.S. has conducted over 280 airstrikes in Somalia since 2007, killing thousands of militants and an unknown number of civilians. Approximately 900 U.S. troops rotate through Somali bases including Baledogle Airfield and compounds in Mogadishu. Five U.S. service members and three U.S. military contractors have been killed. The campaign has oscillated wildly between escalation and withdrawal — Trump dramatically increased strikes then withdrew troops; Biden redeployed them. Al-Shabaab remains the most powerful militant group in Africa, controlling significant territory and conducting devastating attacks, despite nearly two decades of U.S. military operations.

1992–1994 · $3.3B · 43 US deaths

The United States intervention in Somalia (1992-1994) began as Operation Restore Hope, a humanitarian mission to deliver food aid during a devastating famine that threatened 2 million lives. Under UN auspices, 25,000 American troops successfully restored food distribution networks. However, the mission underwent catastrophic mission creep when it expanded into UNOSOM II, a nation-building and disarmament operation targeting Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The October 3-4, 1993 Battle of Mogadishu — immortalized in the book and film "Black Hawk Down" — saw Task Force Ranger trapped in a brutal 18-hour urban firefight after two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by RPG fire. Eighteen Americans were killed, 73 wounded, and one pilot captured. Images of a dead American soldier being dragged through Mogadishu's streets shocked the nation and triggered a complete U.S. withdrawal by March 1994. The retreat had far-reaching consequences: it convinced Osama bin Laden that America was a "paper tiger," shaped al-Qaeda's strategy leading to 9/11, and created the "Mogadishu effect" that paralyzed U.S. humanitarian intervention during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

2011–2011 · $1.5B · Covert

NATO air campaign to support rebels overthrowing Gaddafi. "Humanitarian intervention" that turned Africa's most prosperous nation into a failed state with open slave markets.

2013–2024 · $750M · 4 US deaths

U.S. military operations across the Sahel region of West Africa from 2013-2024, centered on Niger but spanning Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad. The U.S. built a $110 million drone base (Air Base 201) near Agadez, deployed approximately 1,100 troops, and conducted training, surveillance, and strike operations against ISIS-Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS), Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate), and Boko Haram/ISWAP. The October 2017 Tongo Tongo ambush killed four American Green Berets and exposed the secret deployment to public scrutiny. The July 2023 Niger military coup and subsequent expulsion of U.S. forces ended the mission, with the $110 million drone base and associated equipment abandoned — ultimately occupied by Russian military personnel. The entire investment was lost.

1801–1805 · $80M · 35 US deaths

Naval war against Barbary pirates demanding tribute for safe passage in the Mediterranean.