Trump launches air strikes against key ISIS targets in Somalia
Trump has launched air strikes against key ISIS targets in Somalia in his first use of military force abroad since taking office, according to RFI on February 2nd.
The US military strikes have reportedly killed “key figures” in the Islamic State group, including an ISIS Attack Planner, the government of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said on February 2nd.
Trump announced the attacks on the Truth Social Platform, stating, “I ordered precision military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia” before continuing, “the message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!”
Trump also suggested the incompetence of the former US government, saying “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!”, reported by AP News.
New Defence Secretary, and former Fox News presenter, Peter Hegseth, said the initial assessment of the attack’s success showed multiple operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed. However, those killed in the strike have not been named.
Islamic State have a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the dominant Islamist group, Al-Shabaab, but experts have warned of growing ISIS cells in the northern region.
The IS affiliate emerged in 2015 as a breakaway faction of al-Shabaab and has been involved in numerous attacks in southern and central Somalia with funds it accumulates through illicit activities like smuggling and extortion.
The number of ISIS militants in the country are estimated to be in the hundreds, according to AP News, but the rising activity raises concerns following the increased strain on the Pentagon’s counterterrorism strategy.
Chad and Niger, two former US security partners in the region, ousted US forces in 2024 and took over key military bases the US had used to conduct missions against terrorist groups in the Sahel region.
However, in late December 2024, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to establish the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM) which aims to replace the African Union’s anti-terrorism operation – the success of which remains to be seen.
The attack suggests that whilst Trump wants a physical withdrawal from warzones and the return of American troops home, this does not include the use of air and drone strikes in foreign land to combat terrorism.
RFI, Associated Press
