MOGADISHU: The government of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said Sunday that US military strikes in the Golis Mountains had killed “key figures” of Daesh.
US President Donald Trump announced the airstrike late Saturday, posting on the Truth Social platform that he had ordered “precision military airstrikes on the senior Daesh attack planner and other terrorists” in Somalia.
Daesh has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab, but experts have warned of growing activity.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The strikes were carried out in a northern region of Somalia, where the Puntland Defense Forces have been carrying out operations against Daesh since December.
• A Somali government statement issued in Mogadishu said the operation in the Bari region was ‘jointly coordinated by the Somali and American governments’
The strikes were carried out in a northern region of Somalia, where the Puntland Defense Forces have been carrying out operations against Daesh since December. The radical group is said to have established a presence in the Golis Mountains.
“Recent airstrikes have led to the neutralization of key figures within Daesh, marking a significant advancement as we progress into the second phase of our operation,” the regional government said Sunday.
It called the US involvement in airstrikes “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 Daesh leaders.”
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was briefed on the strikes, 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 Sunday.
“Terrorism will neither find friends, nor any place to call home, in Puntland state and entire Somalia,” he added.
US Defense 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.
According to experts and officials, Daesh in Somalia is run by Abdul Qadir Mumin, a Puntland native.
“He is the most important person, the most powerful one, he is the one controlling the global Daesh network,” said Tore Hamming from the International Center for the Study of Radicalization.
Mumin is among a few Daesh leaders who have survived US military strikes in recent years, said Hamming, “which does give him some status within the group.”
