AMN/ WEB DESK
The US military conducted coordinated airstrikes against Islamic State operatives last night in Somalia. This marks the first attack in the African nation during President Donald Trump’s second term. In a social media post, President Trump said, a senior ISIS planner and recruits were targeted in the operation. An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that multiple operatives were killed. The Pentagon also said that no civilians were harmed in the strikes. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the strikes by US Africa Command were directed by President Trump and coordinated with Somalia’s government.
Mr Hegseth said the strikes further degrade the ability of ISIS to plot and conduct terrorist attacks and send a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists. He said the strikes were carried out in the Golis mountains, in northern Somalia. A US military airstrike in Somalia last May targeted the IS group and killed three, according to US Africa Command. The number of IS militants in the country is estimated to be in the hundreds, mostly scattered in the Cal Miskaat mountains in Puntland’s Bari region, according to the International Crisis Group.