How US military planned airstrikes against ISIS in Somalia's Puntland

BOSASO, Somalia - The US Africa Command conducted rare airstrikes against ISIS in Puntland, perhaps the second time the team is targeting the Islamic State militants in the Horn of Africa, leading to the death of several militants, including senior commanders.

In May 2024, the US Africa Command launched an airstrike within the Puntland mountains, which is said to have targeted Abdulkadir Mumin, the global leader of ISIS. Although initial reports indicated he died, other theories suggest he survived the attack.

On Saturday, the US army returned to Puntland mountains targeting ISIS 'planner' whose name was not immediately revealed. Several terrorists were killed in the encounter, President Donald Trump said.

Saturday's airstrike, the first against IS in Somalia so far this year, was carried out by fighter jets launched from the USS Harry S. Truman, currently in the Red Sea, according to defense officials who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation.

The US Army used FA-18 Super Hornets from the USS Harry S Truman, per a defense official. The outing was strongly recommended by President Donald Trump who has declared war against global terrorists.

General Adan Abdi Hashi, commander of the Puntland Dervish Forces said the airstrikes targeted at least 10 locations of the Islamic State militants in the Cal-Miskaad hills, which is part of the Bari region.

"The strikes targeted about 10 locations in the Cal-Miskaad areas, most of them caves, and we believe that many of the militants were killed," said the general.

In Qandala, a small town within the Bari region, residents told VOA on the condition of anonymity because they feared for their lives, that they could see from the distance plumes of smoke and flames, and that they could hear at least seven huge explosions.

The airstrikes came at the time the Puntland military was pursuing ISIS militants in the Cal-Miskaad mountains. Puntland confirmed that both the US and United Arab Emirates have been critical in aerial surveillance.

"These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies," Trump said. "The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians."

The Somali government called Saturday's airstrikes by the U.S. "a critical step in our shared fight against terrorism."

"The Federal Government of Somalia welcomes the firm and decisive counterterrorism efforts led by the United States," it said in a statement. "Together, we will continue to dismantle extremist networks ... and build a future free from the scourge of terrorism."

GAROWE ONLINE