we-will-find-you-and-kill-you-us-warns-is-after-somalia-operation

The United States military conducted coordinated airstrikes targeting Islamic State (IS) operatives in Somalia, marking the first such operation during President Donald Trump's second term.

 

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Saturday, confirmed that the strikes, directed by President Trump and coordinated with Somalia’s government, aimed at dismantling IS operatives entrenched in remote regions.

 

An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that multiple militants were killed, while no civilian casualties were reported.

 

President Trump, in a social media post, said a senior IS planner was among those targeted.

 

“The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn't act quickly enough to get the job done. I did!”

 

Trump did not disclose the identity of the IS planner or confirm whether the individual was killed in the strikes.

 

“The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’” he declared.

 

Pentagon’s counterterrorism concerns

The Pentagon's counterterrorism strategy in Africa has faced challenges after Chad and Niger ousted US forces last year, taking control of key bases previously used for training and operations across the Sahel region.

 

US military officials have expressed growing concern over IS cells receiving increasing direction from the group's leadership, which is believed to have relocated to northern Somalia.

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This guidance has reportedly included training on kidnapping tactics, drone evasion, and building small quadcopters.

 

Ongoing IS threat

According to the International Crisis Group, IS militants in Somalia are estimated to be in the hundreds, primarily scattered in the Cal Miskaat mountains within Puntland’s Bari region.

 

Saturday’s operation followed recent US airstrikes in northwest Syria on 30 January, which reportedly killed a senior operative of Hurras al-Din, an al-Qaeda affiliate, as confirmed by US Central Command.

 

The Pentagon's previous operations in Somalia include an airstrike in May last year that killed three IS militants, according to the US Africa Command.

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