Trump Orders Airstrikes on Islamic State Targets in Somalia

In a recent statement, Donald Trump revealed that he ordered airstrikes targeting a senior Islamic State (IS) attack planner and other members of the terrorist organization in Somalia. He described these operatives as "killers" who posed a threat to the United States and its allies, saying they were found "hiding in caves." Trump assured that the airstrikes successfully destroyed these hiding places and eliminated numerous terrorists without inflicting harm on civilians.

He did not disclose the identities of those targeted but reinforced his aggressive message against IS: "WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!" Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that initial reports indicated multiple operatives were killed in the operation, while civilian safety was preserved. Hegseth highlighted that these strikes would "further degrade" IS's capabilities to plan and execute terrorist activities and affirmed the U.S. commitment to counter terror threats consistently.

The Islamic State gained notoriety in the 2010s due to its operations in Syria and Iraq, but its activities have since diminished primarily to the African continent. The Somali faction of IS emerged in 2015, consisting of defectors from al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, which remains the dominant jihadist group in the region. Currently, IS activities in Somalia primarily involved extortion and some small-scale attacks, as reported by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.