President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he ordered military airstrikes in Somalia, taking out a senior ISIS attack planner and other terrorists the planner had recruited.
The strikes come just weeks after an ISIS-inspired terrorist killed 14 people and injured dozens more after he plowed a truck into New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans.
“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said that the strikes destroyed the caves the terrorists were living in and did not “in any way” harm civilians.
6 TIMES ISIS HAS INSPIRED TERROR ATTACKS ON US SOIL
“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 wrote.
“The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’” Trump wrote.
It is unclear how many people in total were killed.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth provided further details on the strikes, saying they were carried out by U.S. Africa Command in coordination with the Somali government.
“I authorized U.S. Africa Command to conduct coordinated airstrikes today targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains,” Hegseth said in a statement.
“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 U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.”
Hegseth said the strikes “send a clear signal” that the U.S. always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the country and its allies even as it carries out robust border protections at home.
An official in the Somali president’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strikes to Reuters and said Somalia’s government welcomed the move.
“Somalia cannot be a safe haven for terrorists,” said the official, adding that the impact of the strikes was still being assessed.
The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia for years under Republican and Democratic administrations.
A strike, which also targeted Islamic State militants, was carried out by the U.S. in coordination with Somalia last year. It killed three members of the group, the U.S. military said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he ordered military airstrikes in Somalia, taking out a senior ISIS attack planner and other terrorists the planner had recruited.
The strikes come just weeks after an ISIS-inspired terrorist killed 14 people and injured dozens more after he plowed a truck into New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans.
“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said that the strikes destroyed the caves the terrorists were living in and did not “in any way” harm civilians.
6 TIMES ISIS HAS INSPIRED TERROR ATTACKS ON US SOIL
“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 wrote.
“The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’” Trump wrote.
It is unclear how many people in total were killed.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth provided further details on the strikes, saying they were carried out by U.S. Africa Command in coordination with the Somali government.
“I authorized U.S. Africa Command to conduct coordinated airstrikes today targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains,” Hegseth said in a statement.
“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 U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.”
Hegseth said the strikes “send a clear signal” that the U.S. always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the country and its allies even as it carries out robust border protections at home.
An official in the Somali president’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strikes to Reuters and said Somalia’s government welcomed the move.
“Somalia cannot be a safe haven for terrorists,” said the official, adding that the impact of the strikes was still being assessed.
The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia for years under Republican and Democratic administrations.
A strike, which also targeted Islamic State militants, was carried out by the U.S. in coordination with Somalia last year. It killed three members of the group, the U.S. military said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
