On Saturday, United States President Donald Trump ordered precision military air strikes targeting Islamic State (ISIS) operatives in Somalia.
“This morning, I ordered precision military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Trump announced on Truth Social.
According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the strikes focused on ISIS-affiliated militants in the Golis Mountains, located in the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
“Our initial assessment indicates that multiple operatives were killed in the strikes, with no civilian casualties,” Hegseth stated. “This operation further weakens ISIS’s capacity to plan and execute terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens, our allies, and innocent civilians. It also reaffirms America’s commitment to eliminating terrorist threats wherever they arise.”
While ISIS maintains a relatively limited presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, experts warn that its influence has been growing.
“The message to ISIS and anyone who seeks to harm Americans is clear: ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’” Trump wrote in his post.
In 2023, under the directive of former President Joe Biden, U.S. Special Forces conducted a raid on a remote mountain cave complex in northern Somalia, killing a senior ISIS leader and ten other militants.