New Delhi: The US on Saturday carried out “precision airstrikes” targeting senior Islamic State figures in Somalia, President Donald Trump confirmed in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. The strikes also targeted an alleged attack planner. The strikes, which took place in the Golis Mountains killed ISIS operatives hiding in caves, President Trump’s post mentioned, adding that there was no civilian casualty.
Trump emphasised that the targets had posed a direct threat to the US and its allies. “These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our allies,” Trump wrote. “The strikes destroyed the caves they live in and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirms the operation
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed the operation, according to a report by news agency Reuters. “(It) sends a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies, even as we conduct robust border-protection and many other operations under President Trump’s leadership,” he said in a statement.
Trump also criticized the Biden administration for not acting sooner on similar intelligence. He said that the ISIS attack planner had been a target for years but was not dealt with in time under the former president’s successor.
IS gained international attention in the 2010s, particularly in Syria and Iraq, but its presence is now primarily limited to certain regions of Africa. The Somali faction of IS was established in 2015 by a group of defectors from al-Shabab, the largest jihadist group in Somalia, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda.
ISIS maintains a smaller presence in Somalia
In Somalia, IS is known for extorting local populations and typically conducts small-scale, sporadic attacks, according to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a BBC report mentioned.
While ISIS maintains a smaller presence in Somalia experts have warned of increasing activity. The US has periodically conducted airstrikes in the region, including coordinated operations with Somali forces.
Trump ended his social media message with a stark warning to ISIS: “We will find you, and we will kill you!”
