The US military has carried out coordinated airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) operatives in Somalia, marking the first such operation in the African nation during President Donald Trump’s second term.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Saturday that the strikes, conducted by US Africa Command, were authorised by Trump and coordinated with the Somali government, news agency AP reported. An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that “multiple” operatives were killed in the strikes, with no civilian casualties reported.
This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia. These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in,…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2025
Trump, in a social media post, stated that the operation targeted a senior IS planner and recruits. “The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done. I did!” Trump said. “The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’”
Trump did not identify the IS planner or confirm whether that individual was killed in the strike. White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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US Operations In Somalia Against IS Operatives
The Pentagon’s counterterrorism strategy in Africa has faced challenges following the ousting of US forces from key bases in Chad and Niger last year. These bases had been essential for training and conducting missions against terrorist groups in the Sahel region, which stretches south of the Sahara Desert, as per AP’s report.
US military officials have warned that IS cells in Somalia have received increasing direction from the group’s leadership, which relocated to northern Somalia. The group’s activities now include tactics such as kidnapping Westerners for ransom, evading drone surveillance, and even building small quadcopters, the report stated.
A US airstrike in Somalia last May targeted IS militants, killing three, according to US Africa Command. The number of IS militants in Somalia is estimated to be in the hundreds, mostly located in the Cal Miskaat mountains of Puntland’s Bari region, as reported by the International Crisis Group.
Saturday’s airstrike follows a similar operation in Syria on January 30, which killed a senior operative of Hurras al-Din, an al-Qaeda affiliate, US Central Command stated.
