The U.S. military has carried out airstrikes targeting Islamic State (IS) members in Somalia, marking the first military action in the country during President Trump’s second term. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that these strikes, executed by the U.S. Africa Command, were authorized by Trump and coordinated with the Somali government.
Preliminary reports from the Pentagon indicated that numerous operatives were killed in these strikes, and officials reported no civilian casualties. Trump announced on social media that the operation aimed at eliminating a senior IS planner and their recruits.
In his post, Trump emphasized the effectiveness of the military action, stating, “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!” He concluded with a stern warning to ISIS, asserting that their actions would be met with decisive retaliation.
While Trump did not reveal the identity of the targeted IS planner or confirm their death, there was no immediate response from White House officials regarding the details of the operation. Somalia’s presidential office underscored that the airstrikes would enhance the already strong security collaboration between the U.S. and Somalia in combating extremist threats, emphasizing, “Somalia remains resolute in working with its allies to eliminate international terrorism and ensure regional stability.”
The Pentagon’s counterterrorism initiatives in Africa have become increasingly complicated following the expulsion of U.S. forces from two significant partner nations, Chad and Niger, which resulted in the loss of valuable military bases utilized for training and operations against terrorist groups in the Sahel region.
U.S. military officials have raised concerns regarding the rising coordination of IS cells with leadership that has relocated to northern Somalia. This includes strategies for kidnapping Westerners for ransom, improving military tactics, evading drone surveillance, and even developing small drones.
The IS affiliate in Somalia, which surfaced in 2015 after splitting from al-Shabab (an affiliate of al-Qaida), has been particularly active in Puntland, especially in the Galgala Mountains where it has set up hideouts and training sites, led by Abdulkadir Mumin. Though its reach is significantly less than that of al-Shabab, IS has still committed attacks in southern and central Somalia, funding its operations through methods like extortion, smuggling, and illegal taxation, especially in coastal regions where it tries to dominate local businesses.
Despite ongoing counterterrorism activities from Somali forces, U.S. airstrikes, and rivalries with al-Shabab, IS continues its operations in both remote and urban locales, working to increase its presence through recruitment and propaganda. The International Crisis Group reports an estimated number of IS militants in Somalia to be in the hundreds, largely dispersed in the Cal Miskaat mountains of Puntland’s Bari region.
This recent airstrike comes on the heels of a military operation on January 30 in northwest Syria which resulted in the death of a high-ranking operative in Hurras al-Din, another al-Qaeda affiliate, as stated by U.S. Central Command.
