U.S. airstrikes in Somalia targeted senior ISIS operatives hiding in caves, killing multiple terrorists, President Donald Trump announced Saturday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “This morning I ordered precision military airstrikes 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 and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”
Trump did not disclose the identities of those targeted or confirm if the intended leader was among the dead. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the strikes were conducted by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in coordination with Somalia’s government.
An initial Pentagon assessment confirmed “multiple” ISIS operatives were killed with no civilian casualties. Hegseth emphasized that the strikes weaken ISIS’s ability “to plot and conduct terrorist attacks” against the U.S., its allies, and innocent civilians.
The office of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the operation, stating it “reinforces the strong security partnership” between the two nations in “combating extremist threats.” In a post on X, Somalia’s government reaffirmed its commitment to working with allies to eliminate global terrorism and ensure regional stability.
Trump criticized the previous administration, claiming U.S. forces had tracked the ISIS planner for years, but former President Joe Biden “and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done.” He declared, “I did! The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!'”
The U.S. has conducted airstrikes in Somalia under both Republican and Democratic administrations. In May 2023, a U.S. airstrike killed three ISIS militants, and earlier that year, a raid in northern Somalia ordered by Biden resulted in the death of a senior ISIS leader and 10 militants.
The latest operation follows U.S. airstrikes on January 30 in northwest Syria, where a senior operative from Hurras al-Din, an al-Qaeda affiliate, was killed, according to U.S. Central Command.
U.S. military officials have warned that ISIS cells in Somalia are receiving increasing support from the group’s leadership, which relocated to the region. Intelligence suggests ISIS operatives in Somalia have been trained in kidnapping Westerners for ransom, improving military tactics, evading drone surveillance, and constructing weaponized drones.
The International Crisis Group estimates that hundreds of ISIS militants are active in Somalia, primarily in the Cal Miskaat mountains of Puntland’s Bari region.
