The U.S. military said it conducted airstrikes in Somalia on Saturday, hitting targets associated with the Islamic State.
A statement from United States Africa Command said they believe several ISIS operatives were killed in the attack, and that it is believed no civilians were harmed.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also commented on the strikes. These were the first military strikes conducted during Trump’s second term in office.
“At President Trump’s direction and in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, I authorized U.S. Africa Command to conduct coordinated airstrikes today targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains,” Hegseth said in a statement released by the Pentagon.
“This action further degrades ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians and 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.
Trump posted about the strikes on social media, and the statement was later released by the White House.
“This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia. These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” he said.