The U.S. military struck Islamic State terrorists in the Horn of Africa on Saturday, killing several of them, Department of Defense officials said.
“At President [Donald] Trump’s direction and in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, we authorized U.S. Africa Command to conduct coordinated airstrikes today targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.
.@SecDef Pete Hegseth statement on @USAfricaCommand strikes in Somalia. https://t.co/edIo3vQVVG
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) February 1, 2025
The strikes killed multiple terrorists without harming civilians, according to the U.S. Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) initial assessment. AFRICOM said it “takes great measures to prevent civilian harm” to “promote a more secure and stable Africa.” The Command added that it would continue to evaluate the results of the strikes but would not release the specifics of the operation for security reasons.
Well done @USAfricaCommand.
Enemies on notice under President @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/M9EejY1KGG
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) February 1, 2025
Trump said the strikes targeted a “Senior ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham] Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia” and killed many of the terrorists in their hideouts in caves without harming civilians. (RELATED: US Military Airstrike Kills Senior ISIS Official)
This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes 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,…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2025
The president added that, while the senior ISIS commander had been a longtime target of the U.S. military, “Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done.”
“This action further degrades ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians and sends a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies, even as we conduct robust border-protection and many other operations under President Trump’s leadership,” Hegseth added.
Trump also issued a warning aimed at “ISIS and all others who would attack Americans”: “WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU! [sic]”
An 88-member global coalition formed in September 2014 is fighting against the resurgence of ISIS as the terrorist group remains a global threat.
The U.S. military’s historic involvement in Somalia includes the costly 1993 Battle of Mogadishu of “Black Hawk Down” infamy. U.S. forces withdrew following the failed operation, contributing to additional instability in Somalia and giving space for extremist groups to gain power.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
