The head of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Michael Langley, informed the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that the United States is intensifying its military operations against ISIS in Somalia.
“The President and the Minister of Defense have granted me broad authority to conduct swift and powerful strikes,” said Gen. Langley.
He noted that recent U.S. airstrikes in Somalia have eliminated several key ISIS leaders. Additionally, he emphasized that the air campaign against Al-Shabaab has also been ramped up, leading to a significant increase in militant casualties.
“We’re hitting them hard. I now have the capability to strike ISIS and Al-Shabaab with greater force,” Gen. Langley declared.
U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier ordered targeted strikes against ISIS fighters based in the Al-Miskad Mountains of Puntland, as well as Al-Shabaab operatives in southern and central Somalia.
Trump described the move as part of a broader global effort to eliminate terrorism, asserting that terrorist groups would have no place to hide.
