The United States military carried out airstrikes in Somalia on Saturday, targeting members of the Islamic State (ISIS). President Donald Trump confirmed the operation in a statement.
“This morning I ordered precision military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that the airstrikes focused on ISIS operatives in the Golis Mountains, located in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. He stated that early assessments indicated multiple ISIS members were killed, while no civilian casualties had been reported.
Local military officials confirmed the attack. A commander in the Bossaso area, Mohamed Ali, told AFP over the phone, “We don’t know so far the number of the casualties, but we believe the missiles precisely hit the targets.”
Ali added that the strikes likely resulted in the deaths of key ISIS leaders, including foreign fighters who had been pursued by Puntland forces in recent days. Another military officer in the region, Abdirahman Adan, said residents heard “five loud explosions” and saw thick smoke rising from the targeted location.
Despite confirmations from local commanders, Puntland authorities have yet to make an official statement regarding the airstrikes.
Hegseth noted that the operation was part of ongoing efforts to weaken ISIS and prevent future attacks against American citizens, allies, and innocent civilians. “The strikes further degrade ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks,” he said.
Though ISIS has a smaller presence in Somalia compared to the more dominant Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group, experts have warned that the terrorist group has been expanding its activities in the region.
Trump reinforced his administration’s stance on combating terrorism, declaring, “The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘We will find you, and we will kill you!’”
