This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he ordered military strikes on a senior “attack planner” of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Somalia who had been hiding with other members in the impoverished East African nation.
The action on February 1 marked the first military action carried out by Trump since he took office for his second term on January 20.
“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump said in a statement.
“The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”
Trump added that the U.S. military had targeted the attack planner for years but that it was not able to take the person out until his term. The target was not identified by name.
Defense chief Pete Hegseth said an initial assessment indicated “multiple” militants were killed in the attacks. No civilians were hurt, he added.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he was informed of the air strike and that he extended his “deepest gratitude for the unwavering support of the United States in our shared fight against terrorism.”
Mohamud said U.S. counterterrorism efforts are “highly valued and welcomed in Somalia” and he praised what he called Trump’s “bold and decisive leadership.”
The Puntland state information minister, Mohamud Aidid Dirir, told Reuters that the strike took place in the Cal Miskaad Mountains within the Golis range.
“The number of casualties is still unknown as it was dark. But our forces on the front line could hear the sound of explosions,” he said.
The IS affiliate in Somalia has faced counterterrorism actions in the form of U.S. air strikes and attacks by Somali security forces, but it still remains active, mainly in the Puntland region.
The U.S. military — under both Republican and Democratic administrations — has carried out air strikes in Somalia in the past, targeting terrorist hideouts.
U.S. action in Somalia is perhaps best known from the 2001 movie “Black Hawk Down,” the story about a U.S. helicopter shot down in Mogadishu during the country’s civil war in 1993.
Some of the U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa have suffered as Chad and Niger — two former partners — demanded that U.S. forces exit their countries. Russia has in recent years moved to increase its influence in the region.