The U.S. bombed Islamic State targets in Somalia on Saturday, President Trump said, marking the first major American operation against terrorist groups abroad since he took office on Jan. 20.
The Pentagon said that “multiple operatives” were killed in the airstrikes and that no civilians were harmed. The bombing in Somalia suggests that Mr. Trump, while seeking to keep America out of “forever wars” and reduce the nation’s military footprint in some regions of the world, may continue to put pressure on terrorist organizations across the Middle East and Africa at a time when those groups are gaining strength.
“This morning I ordered precision military airstrikes on the senior ISIS attack planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Mr. Trump posted on social media. “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. Our military has targeted this ISIS attack planner for years, but [former President Joe] 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!’”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation in the Golis Mountains of Somalia “degrades ISIS’ ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners and innocent civilians.”
Neither Mr. Trump nor Mr. Hegseth identified the Islamic State attack planner targeted in the assault by name.
For years, the U.S., in concert with the weak central government in the capital of Mogadishu, has waged war against the terror group al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliate based in Somalia. Mr. Trump targeted that group with airstrikes during his first term despite shrinking America’s military footprint on the ground inside the country. Mr. Biden continued the U.S. campaign against al-Shabab during his term.
Saturday’s bombing targeted ISIS, not al-Shabab. ISIS and its affiliates have gained strength across Africa in recent years.
The fear of ISIS-inspired attacks against the American homeland may be driving the decision to more aggressively target the Islamic State abroad. On Jan. 1, Islamic State-inspired extremist Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a vehicle into a crowd along Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people and injuring dozens.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.