According to the government of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region, “key figures” of the ISIL (ISIS) organization were killed by American military strikes in the Golis Mountains.
Late on Saturday, US President Donald Trump claimed that he had ordered “precision military air strikes against a senior ISIL attack planner and other terrorists.”
ISIL has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared with al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, but experts have warned of growing activity.
The Puntland Security Forces (PSF) have been conducting operations against ISIL since December in a northern region of Somalia. According to legend, the armed group has reportedly established itself in the Golis Mountains.
The regional government stated on Sunday that the recent air strikes have marked a significant improvement as we enter the second phase of our operation.
Trump claimed on the Truth Social platform that US strikes “destroyed the caves they live in and killed many terrorists without seriously harming civilians.”
“Our military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his associates didn’t act quickly enough to accomplish the task.” I did”, Trump posted, attacking his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The action further “degrades ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks that threaten US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians,” according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, president of Somalia, expressed gratitude for “the United States’ unwavering support of our shared fight against terrorism” in a post on X.
“Your bold and decisive leadership, Mr. President, in counterterrorism efforts is highly valued and welcomed in Somalia”, Mohamud posted.
https://t.co/kwqCitTQ9m pic. twitter.com/YMUtfSEk38
The attack was confirmed by the information minister for Puntland, which is in northern Somalia, saying it targeted ISIL-held sites in the Cal Miskaad Mountains and the Golis range.
Because it was dark, there are still unknown how many people died. However, explosions might be audible to our forces on the frontline, according to Mohamud Dirir.
ISIL has carried out attacks in southern and central Somalia, despite having a smaller impact than al-Shabab. The organization uses extortion, smuggling, and illegal taxation to fund its activities, particularly in some coastal areas where it has tried to impose its will on small businesses.
ISIL continues to operate in both rural and urban areas, attempting to expand its influence through recruitment and propaganda despite being under pressure from Somali security forces, US air raids, and al-Shabab rivalries.
Source: Aljazeera
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