U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) recently released a statement detailing a military airstrike launched in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia on May 31, 2024, which targeted ISIS militants in a remote area near Dhaardaar, which lies roughly 81 km southeast of Bosaso, Somalia.
The strike is said to have killed three ISIS militants, with no civilian casualties reported.
According to reports by ABC News, the specific target of the strike was Abdulqadir Mumin (a.k.a. Abdul al-Qadir Mumin), who has been named as the head of the Islamic State in Somalia by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
The statement by AFRICOM did not offer detailed information on who, specifically, the airstrike was targeted at, however, ABC News has revealed that three U.S. officials have confirmed “that the target of the strike was the top leader of the Islamic State in Somalia.”
ABC adds that a fourth U.S. official would confirm only that “a senior Islamic State leader was the target of the strike”, but would not reveal any names. At this point in time, it is unclear whether Mumin was one of the three individuals killed during the airstrike.
The United States declared Mumin a specially designated global terrorist, in 2016, saying he posed a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States.
Mumin is believed to be responsible for multiple attacks across Somalia, including the assassination of a judicial official in his home in 2019.
Speaking about the airstrike, U.S. AFRICOM said in its statement that “Somalia remains central to the security environment in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to degrade ISIS.”
Elsewhere, the statement reads; “U.S. Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties,” adding that “Protecting innocent civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote a more secure and stable Africa.”
