US military conducts airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 3 weeks ago • 17 commentsBy: By TARA COPP, AAMER MADHANI and OMAR FARUK
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia, the first attacks in the African nation during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the strikes by U.S. Africa Command were directed by Trump and coordinated with Somalia’s government.
An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that “multiple” operatives were killed. The Pentagon said it assessed that no civilians were harmed in the strikes.
Trump, in a post on social media, said a senior IS planner and recruits were targeted in the operation.
“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!” Trump said. “The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that “WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!”
Trump did not identify the IS planner or say whether that person was killed in the strike. White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The office of Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said the operation “reinforces the strong security partnership” between the two countries in “combating extremist threats.” In a post on X, it said Somalia “remains resolute in working with its allies to eliminate international terrorism and ensure regional stability.”
U.S. military officials have warned that IS cells have received increasing direction from the group’s leadership that relocated to northern Somalia. That has included how to kidnap Westerners for ransom, how to learn better military tactics, how to hide from drones and how to build their own small quadcopters.
The IS affiliate in Somalia emerged in 2015 as a breakaway faction from al-Shabab, al-Qaida’s East African link, and is most active in Puntland, particularly in the Galgala Mountains, where it has established hideouts and training camps and is led by Abdulkadir Mumin.
While its influence is relatively limited compared to Al-Shabaab, IS in Somalia has been involved in attacks in southern and central Somalia. The group funds its activities through extortion, smuggling, and illicit taxation, particularly in some coastal areas where it has attempted to control local businesses.
Despite facing counterterrorism pressure from Somali security forces, U.S. airstrikes and al-Shabab rivalries, it continues to operate in remote and urban areas, seeking to expand its influence through recruitment and propaganda.
The number of IS militants in the country are estimated to be in the hundreds, mostly scattered in the Cal Miskaat mountains in Puntland’s Bari region, according to the International Crisis Group.
Saturday’s operation followed military airstrikes on Jan. 30 in northwest Syria, killing a senior operative in Hurras al-Din, an al-Qaeda affiliate, U.S. Central Command said.
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In a statement, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said "our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed".
Hegseth said the strikes "further degrade" the ability of IS "to plot and conduct terrorist attacks" and "sends a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists".
He said the strikes were carried out in the Golis mountains, in north-east Somalia.
Trump says he ordered air strikes on Islamic State group in Somalia
Didn't trump say he didn't want to get us into any more endless wars? Well that didn't take long, did it?
Don't recognize the difference between a single targeted attack and a war?
Hint, this was a single targeted attack. No US ground forces involved. No billions in tax payer dollars and military hardware going to prop up the Somalia government. Chances are there will be more targeted attacks to come; but this is the way Afghanistan should have been handled- the US playing whack a terrorist- not getting involved in nation building.
Unlike Ukraine- where US forces are on the ground training Ukrainian forces; repairing US weapon systems being used by Ukrainian forces; and the US taxpayer is on the hook for 135.1 billion dollars already. That is not counting the amount it is going to cost the US to withdraw those troops and weapons; nor the cost of rebuilding Ukraine- since we all damn well know Europe isn't going to do it.
Ah, I'm not the only one who comes up with movie lines. In the movie "Taken" Liam Neeson says over the phone to the man who was kidnapping his daughter: "I will find you, and I will kill you."
Outstanding.
It is refreshing to see the US military performing offensive operations again.
They already were. You have no cause to feel refreshed.
Comon Tacos.
Come on what? I posted links in support of this fact @8. Trump didn’t do anything we weren’t already doing.
To maga offensive and refreshing are synonymous.
Have you missed all of the air strikes own ISIS in Syria’s and the air strikes in Iraq before Trump became President again?
I can list them for you if you’d like.
I haven't missed the Navy constantly defending itself against Houthi missiles
Did you missed all of the US taxpayer money wasted funding and training supposedly "moderate" Sunni factions in the effort to remove Assad in the Syrian civil war? Funny how Turkey accomplished what we couldn't. Turkey and Putin's incompetence that is- though he did get Syria to allow Russia to keep their port and military bases. Seems those Sunnis we backed weren't loyal to the US in the slightest.
By the way- Trump had permission of the Somalian government to conduct the targeted attack. Don't remember Obama, Trump, or Brandon ever getting permission from the Syrian government to conduct any operations in Syria. In fact all three ignored repeated Syrian government requests to stay the hell out.
Total US contribution to those Sunni rebels in funding, training, and military equipment topped 1 billion dollars. That is not including all of those "targeted Syrian air strikes".
ISIS/ISIL still has thousands of combatants in Syria as well. Seems Turkey isn't nearly as anti ISIS/ISIL as we are; nor are those "moderate" Sunni rebels we supported. Shitting bricks are the Kurds caught in the middle of two factions that want them gone- Turkey backed rebels because the Kurds are a terrorist group- and the Sunni rebels for the Kurds siding with Assad. Seems the Kurds aren't nearly as adept at reading the Syrian tea leaves as Putin.
Nothing of your rant has much to do with my comment or the article.
There are different groups of Kurds-- some are pretty radical, other much more moderate.
Their main problem is extremely violent attacks on Kurdish areas by Turkey.
But you missed all the other strikes, best get yourself up to date before making BS claims.
Ok, well that’s some bullshit, but of course MAGA drinks up lies like they are mother’s milk. Our military has been working with Syria and attacking ISIS for years. It’s literally hundreds of strikes. Practically, every fucking day.
CENTCOM and Partner Forces Conduct Operations in Iraq and Syria to Defeat ISIS - 1/6//2025
CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Operatives, Destroy Truckload of Weapons in Syria Airstrike - 12/23/2024
CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Leader During Precision Strike in Syria - 12/20/2024
U.S. Central Command Conducts Airstrikes Against ISIS Operatives - 12/16/2024
U.S. Central Command conducts dozens of airstrikes to eliminate ISIS camps in central Syria - 12/8/2024
Fuck it. My copy and paste fingers are cramping. Here’s a link to a search results page . Acting like the Biden administration or our military wasn’t doing anything about ISIS, but Trump and Hegseth are here to save the day, is pretty fucking obnoxious. But these assholes don’t care.