Fact check: What seven countries did Obama bomb in 2016

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, the Obama administration conducted military operations in seven countries during 2016: Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The most comprehensive data comes from a 2017 report indicating that the U.S. dropped an average of 72 bombs per day in 2016, totaling 26,171 bombs across these seven nations ^[2].

Official documentation from the Obama White House confirms military deployments for combat operations in multiple countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Somalia, Yemen, Djibouti, and Libya ^[4]. The consistency across sources from 2014-2017 establishes that these seven countries - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Syria - were the primary targets of U.S. bombing campaigns under Obama's presidency ^{[1] [3]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the scale and intensity of these operations. The bombing campaigns represented a significant escalation in military activity, with the U.S. conducting what some sources describe as a "secret war" using drones and special forces against suspected terrorists ^[5].

The analyses reveal that Obama's foreign policy involved both inherited conflicts (Iraq and Afghanistan) and new military interventions initiated during his presidency ^{[6] [7]}. However, the sources examining Obama's foreign policy legacy discuss the broader strategic implications and criticisms of these operations, suggesting there were significant debates about the effectiveness and consequences of this approach ^{[7] [8]}.

Missing from the original question is any mention of:

• The legal justifications for these operations
• The civilian casualty counts
• The long-term strategic outcomes
• Congressional oversight or authorization for these campaigns

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is factually neutral and does not contain apparent misinformation. However, it could be misleading by omission as it focuses solely on the number "seven" without acknowledging that:

• These operations varied significantly in scale and duration across different countries
• Some operations were continuations of existing conflicts while others represented new interventions
• The legal and constitutional frameworks governing these operations differed by country and context

The framing as simply "countries Obama bombed" could oversimplify complex military operations that included various types of airstrikes, drone operations, and support for local forces. The question also doesn't distinguish between direct combat operations versus support roles or counterterrorism strikes, which had different strategic rationales and legal justifications.