The U.S. military’s fight against ISIS continues, even outside of the Middle East. , according to U.S. Africa Command. On Friday, May 31, the American military killed three ISIS members operating in inland Somalia.
U.S. Africa Command announced the strike on Saturday, June 1. The three militants were killed near the town of Dhaardaar. No civilians were killed or injured in the airstrike, AFRICOM said.
No other details into the operation were shared by AFRICOM. It’s unclear if the three killed were the only ones targeted, or if a larger group was involved. Dhaardaar, approximately 81 kilometers southeast of the coastal city of Bosaso, is a more remote and desert location in Somalia.
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“ISIS has conducted numerous attacks globally, including terrorist attacks in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, all while continuing to plot against U.S. homeland and personnel and interests around the world, as well as regional partners, and others globally,” U.S. Africom said in its statement. “U.S. Africa Command, alongside its partners, continues to take action to prevent this terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks, which disproportionately harms civilians.”
Even though ISIS was driven out of its strongholds in Iraq and Syria years ago, it remains active, well outside of the Middle East. The group’s affiliate in Afghanistan has been one of the more prominent branches, carrying out attacks on U.S. forces and Afghans, but ISIS has associates in the African continent. American military operations in Somalia predominantly target al-Shabaab, the militant group loyal to al-Qaeda that once controlled much of the country. However, ISIS has maintained a presence in the country. Last year the U.S. carried out a special operations mission that killed Bilal al-Sudani, one of the terror group’s leaders in the Horn of Africa.
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