Monday February 17, 2025

Mogadishu (HOL) – The United States carried out an airstrike
in northeastern Somalia on Sunday, killing two ISIS militants, U.S. Africa
Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement Monday. 

The strike, the second targeting ISIS in Somalia this month,
hit a stronghold of the militant group in the Puntland region. 

“Degrading ISIS and other terrorist organizations’
ability to plot and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our
partners, and civilians remains central to U.S. Africa Command’s mission,”
AFRICOM said. 

The command confirmed that no civilians were harmed in the
operation. 

Earlier this month, on February 1, U.S. forces conducted
airstrikes in Somalia targeting a senior ISIS attack planner and other members
of the group, killing several militants, according to U.S. President Donald
Trump. 

ISIS in Somalia was established in 2015 by defectors from
the al-Qaida-aligned al-Shabab group. By 2019, its ranks were estimated to
include about 300 fighters.