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US Strikes Alleged IS Targets in Somalia
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Above: Security forces are dispatched to the scene after a bomb and armed attack on a hotel that is close to the Presidential Palace, Somalia, on March 15, 2024. Image copyright: Abukar Mohamed Muhudin/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
In coordination with the local federal government, US Africa Command carried out airstrikes against alleged Islamic State group (IS) targets in Somalia on Saturday.
The Pentagon claimed that multiple operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed, while Trump said that the main target was a senior IS attack planner.
This was the first such military operation in Somalia since Pres. Donald Trump returned to the White House and comes as the US Central Command conducted airstrikes against an al-Qaeda affiliate in northwest Syria on Thursday.
The Spin
Republican narrative
This operation illustrates Trump's decisive leadership in protecting American interests and sends a clear message to terrorists threatening US security. A high-ranking IS leader that the US military targeted for years has finally been neutralized — something that Biden and his allies would have never been able to achieve.
Democratic narrative
These strikes were more symbolic than substantive, designed primarily to promote Trump as a commander-in-chief who has protected the country from the very start of his term rather than to address a serious threat. The Biden administration neutralized a high-ranking IS leader not too long ago — the public should wait and see if the Trump administration confirms its initial assessment.
