Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
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.
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, and he wrote on X that he extended his deepest gratitude for “the unwavering support of the United States in our shared fight against terrorism”.
The information minister for Puntland state in northern Somalia said the U.S. attack struck in the Cal Miskaad Mountains, part of the Golis range, and targeted Islamic State bases.
Hegseth said the strikes degraded Islamic State’s ability to plot and carry out attacks that threaten the United States, its partners and innocent civilians.
The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia for years, under Republican and Democratic administrations.
