WASHINGTON – U.S. forces carried out airstrikes in Somalia on Saturday targeting a senior Islamic State attack planner and other members of the militant group, killing many of them, President Donald Trump said.
“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”
Saturday’s strikes were carried out in the Golis Mountains and an initial assessment indicated many militants were killed, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said. No civilians were harmed, he said.
Reuters could not independently verify those details.
The Somali president’s office said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was informed of the airstrike which it said took place in northern Somalia.
Mohamud “acknowledges the unwavering support of the United States in the fight against international terrorism,” his office said on the X platform.
“This latest operation reinforces the strong security partnership between Somalia and the United States in combating extremist threats,” it said.
An official in the Somali president’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his government welcomed the move.
“Somalia cannot be a safe haven for terrorists,” the official said, adding that the strike’s impact was still being assessed.
Hegseth said the strikes degraded Islamic State’s ability to plot and carry out terrorist attacks that threaten the United States, its partners and innocent civilians.
“(It) 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,” he said in a statement.
The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia for years, under Republican and Democratic administrations.
REUTERS
