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On February 1, 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered military airstrikes targeting a senior attack planner and other operatives of the Islamic State (IS) group in Somalia. The operation aimed to neutralize threats to the United States and its allies.
“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our allies,” Trump posted on social media. “The strikes destroyed the caves they live in and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”
The U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that the strikes were carried out in the Golis mountains of northern Somalia. Initial assessments indicate that multiple IS operatives were killed and no civilian casualties were reported. Hegseth emphasized that the operation was a significant step toward degrading IS’s capacity to plot and conduct terrorist attacks.
Trump underscored the message to IS and other terror groups, stating, “WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU.” He also criticized the previous administration led by President Joe Biden, accusing it of being slow to target this particular IS planner. “They didn’t act quickly enough to get the job done. I did!” Trump declared.
The Biden administration had previously conducted a similar operation in 2023, which resulted in the death of IS leader Bilal al-Sudani and 10 operatives in a remote mountainous cave in northern Somalia. That operation was praised for being decisive in weakening IS’s influence in the region.
IS gained global notoriety in the 2010s, particularly in Syria and Iraq, but its operations are now largely restricted to parts of Africa, where it continues to pose a security threat. The Somali branch of IS was formed in 2015 by defectors from the al-Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabab, the largest jihadist organization in Somalia.
The Islamic State in Somalia has been known for extorting locals and carrying out small-scale sporadic attacks. However, its ability to launch major operations has diminished due to continued U.S. and Somali government efforts.
Trump’s latest announcement underscores the ongoing U.S. commitment to counterterrorism efforts in Somalia and across Africa. Defense Secretary Hegseth reiterated that these strikes send a “clear signal” that the U.S. remains vigilant and ready to eliminate terrorists.
The recent airstrikes are a reminder of the complex geopolitical landscape in Somalia, where jihadist groups like al-Shabab and IS continue to exploit instability. As the U.S. and its allies remain focused on combating these threats, the international community closely watches the outcomes of such military operations.
Despite Trump’s claims, the BBC could not independently verify the success of the airstrikes or the identities of those targeted. Nonetheless, the announcement reflects a renewed push by the U.S. to secure its interests and protect its allies from extremist threats in the region.