Trump Claims US Airstrikes Have ‘Eliminated Many’ ISIS Militants in Somalia | Global News
Donald Trump has stated that “many” ISIS terrorists were eliminated in caves in Somalia due to US airstrikes he ordered this morning.
On his social media platform Truth Social, the US president remarked: “This morning, I directed precision Military airstrikes against the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia.”
“These murderers, who we discovered hiding in caves, posed a threat to the United States and our Allies.”
“The strikes not only obliterated the caves they were using, but also eliminated numerous terrorists without causing any harm to civilians.”
Mr. Trump did not specify any of the individuals targeted in the airstrikes, nor did he confirm whether the main target was among the deceased, or provide additional information about the strike locations.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned that the strikes, conducted by US Africa Command, were initiated by Mr. Trump and coordinated with the Somali government.
An initial assessment from the Pentagon indicated that “multiple” operatives were killed, with no civilian casualties reported.
Mr. Hegseth stated that the strikes undermine ISIS’s capability “to plan and execute terrorist attacks” that pose threats to the US, its partners, and innocent civilians.
“(It) conveys a clear message that the United States is always prepared to locate and eliminate terrorists who endanger the US and our allies, all while we execute comprehensive border protection and various other operations under President Trump’s leadership,” he added in a statement.
Trump made the announcement on his social media platform. Pic: Truth Social
Mr. Trump commented that the US military had pursued the attack planner for years, but former president Joe Biden “and his associates didn’t act swiftly enough to address the issue.”
“I did! The message to ISIS and anyone else who would target Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!'”
However, the US has executed periodic strikes in Somalia over the years under both Republican and Democratic administrations, including Mr. Biden’s.
A US military airstrike last May targeted ISIS militants, resulting in three deaths, as reported by the US Africa Command.
US special forces also neutralized a senior ISIS leader along with 10 other militants during a raid on a mountain cave complex in a remote area of northern Somalia in 2023, an operation carried out under Mr. Biden’s orders.
The latest operation followed military airstrikes on January 30 in northwest Syria, which resulted in the death of a senior operative in Hurras al Din, an al Qaeda affiliate, according to US Central Command.
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US military officials have cautioned that ISIS cells have increasingly received guidance from the group’s leadership, which has relocated to northern Somalia.
This includes strategies on how to kidnap Westerners for ransom, improve military tactics, evade drones, and construct small quadcopters.
It is estimated that there are hundreds of ISIS militants in Somalia, primarily dispersed in the Cal Miskaat mountains within Puntland’s Bari region, according to the International Crisis Group.
