US President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike in Somalia targeting senior Islamic State (IS) militants, marking a swift display of military action under his administration. The strike, which aimed to destroy IS hideouts and kill militants, surprised many in Somalia who feared a US withdrawal. While the strike was welcomed by the Somali government, it highlights the ongoing threat posed by IS in the region despite the focus being on al-Shabab.
Finding and fighting the militants who have become the beating heart of the Islamic State group in Africa can be tough work as they hide deep in the mountains of north-eastern Somalia .
Under Biden, US troops in Somalia were carrying out special operations, training an elite Somali force and conducting regular airstrikes.The Golis Moutains are where the IS militants hide out and where the Puntland security forces try to hunt them down "The strike does not mean that the US government is going to step up its military engagement in Somalia," says Matt Bryden, the strategic adviser of Nairobi-based Sahan Research.
As Mohamed Mubarak, head of Puntland's security co-ordination office, points out it is troops from the north-east that have been battling IS for years with little help or thanks from others. Puntland says its forces have captured 48 caves and IS outposts - and destroyed dozens of drones and explosive devices - since launching its full-scale "hilaac" or "lightning" offensive last year.
According to Tricia Bacon, director of the policy anti-terrorism hub at American University in Washington DC, "IS-Somalia has taken on more responsibilities within the Islamic State network, particularly in Africa but beyond the continent as well". "Like al-Shabab, IS-Somalia has received arms and training from the Houthis in Yemen, which is a source of concern for the US government and its allies," he says.The security forces in Somalia hope the Trump administration's airstrike will not be a one-off
"We assess that IS-Somalia is 80% or more foreign fighters, mostly from North Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the Middle East, in that order," says Mr Mubarak.Last October, the head of the US Africa Command, Michael Langley, said he thought IS had grown in northern Somalia by about "two-fold" in a year.
IS Militants Somalia Donald Trump Airstrikes Terrorism
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