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President Donald Trump announced orders for precision air strikes against ISIS leaders in Somalia on Saturday.
Trump shared details concerning the military effort in a post to his Truth Social account.
“This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia. These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump wrote.
“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 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!’” he added.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth added more details on the operation. He noted that the strikes were carried out by the U.S. Africa Command with the coordination of the Somali government.
“I authorized U.S. Africa Command to conduct coordinated airstrikes today targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains,” Hegseth said in a statement.
“Our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed. This action further degrades ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.”
The operation also comes just weeks after an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day killed 15 people and injured dozens of others. The New Orleans Police Department reported that the suspect opened fire on officers after their vehicle, a Ford pickup truck, was stopped.
The FBI stated that an ISIS flag, weapons, and a potential IED were discovered in the vehicle. The vehicle was reportedly rented from the car-sharing app Turo.
The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, an American citizen from Texas, the Associated Press reported. Later information revealed that the man was a U.S. military veteran.
The driver reportedly ran over several individuals on a sidewalk, driving around a police car that was positioned to block vehicles. His vehicle was soon stopped, and he reportedly exited the vehicle and opened fire before being killed by police.