US continues airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia

In co-ordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US Africa Command conducted airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia on Saturday 1 February 2025. This followed similar strikes on 10 March, 31 May, 15 July, 24 and 31 December.

Truman's Deployment

On 1 February 2025 new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a statement on the US Africa Command strikes against caves in the Cal-Miskaad mountains in the Bahaya region of Somalia. In it, he said that: “At President Trump’s direction and in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, we authorized US Africa Command to conduct coordinated airstrikes today targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains. Our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed. This action further degrades ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening US 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.”

A similar AFRICOM statement added that: “Specific details about the operation will not be released in order to ensure continued operations security.”

Photos issued seem to indicate that the strikes were carried out by F/A-18E/F Super Hornets operating from the USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75), though some news reports indicated that USAF F-15Es and A-10s had been involved.  AGN counted at least 12 F/A-18Es drawn from Truman’s four Super Hornet squadrons, each armed with four JDAM guided bombs, with four F/A-18Es and two F/A-18Fs in tanker configuration, and with at least one EA-18G Growler providing EW support.

President Trump announced the airstrikes on his ‘Truth Social’ network, and on X (formerly Twitter), boasting that: “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. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”

Trump was unable to resist (inaccurately) berating his predecessor, posting on ‘Truth Social’ that: “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! The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!”

The Somali president’s office said that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had been informed of the airstrike, and that he had acknowledged the “unwavering support of the United States in the fight against international terrorism. This latest operation reinforces the strong security partnership between Somalia and the United States in combating extremist threats.”

ISIS-Somalia is believed to have been formed in about 2015 after a group of former members of the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab pledged their allegiance to ISIS. The office of the Director of National Intelligence has estimated that the group comprised 100-400 members. Its operations have been sporadic, consisting of assassinations and IED attacks.

Though the attacks were presented as though they were something new, and the result of a decisive shift in policy by the incoming Trump administration, and even as a direct result of Trump’s unique and personal directions, they were in fact part of a long-running campaign against terrorist and insurgent groups in Somalia, which included attacks against ISIS on 10 March, 31 May, 15 July, 24 December and 31 December.

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