
The United States military conducted air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Somalia, President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday.
Trump took to Truth Social to announce the operation, stating, “This morning I ordered precision military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified that the strikes targeted IS operatives in the Golis mountains of the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
“Our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes, and no civilians were harmed,” Hegseth said in a statement.
The Pentagon stressed that the operation aimed to degrade ISIS’s ability to carry out attacks. “This action further weakens ISIS’s capacity to plot and execute attacks that threaten US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians,” Hegseth added.
While IS holds a smaller presence in Somalia compared to Al-Shabaab, experts have raised concerns over the growing activity of the group in the region.
Trump issued a firm message: “The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!'”
The airstrike highlights the United States’ ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and protect its citizens and allies from global threats.