US strikes in Somalia neutralised ‘key’ ISIS figures: Regional govt
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Security forces near the wreckage of a vehicle after capturing an ISIS base in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Jan 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MOGADISHU – The government of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said on Feb 2 that US military strikes in the Golis mountains had killed “key figures” in the ISIS terror group.
US President Donald Trump announced the air strike late on Feb 1,
ISIS has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared with the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, but experts have warned of growing activity.
The strikes were carried out in a northern region of Somalia, where the Puntland Defence Forces have been carrying out operations against ISIS since December 2024. The radical group is said to have established a presence in the Golis mountains.
“Recent air strikes have led to the neutralisation of key figures within ISIS, marking a significant advancement as we progress into the second phase of our operation,” the regional government said in a statement on Feb 2.
It called the US involvement in air strikes “invaluable” and expressed “sincere gratitude”, but the statement did not provide more details on the strikes.
A Somali government statement issued in Mogadishu said the operation in the Bari region was “jointly coordinated by the Somali and American governments” and had targeted “senior ISIS leaders”.
It gave no further details.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was briefed on the strikes on the night of Feb 1, according to the President’s office, which added the attack “reinforces the strong security partnership” between the two nations.
He also expressed his “deepest gratitude” to Washington following the strikes in a post on X on Feb 2.
“Terrorism will neither find friends, nor any place to call home, in Puntland state and entire Somalia,” he added.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the “initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes”.
He added that no civilians were harmed in the strike. AFP
