Trump Calls for Air Strikes on ISIS in Somalia

Trump Calls for Air Strikes, The airstrikes, which were approved by former U.S. president Donald Trump, would be the first against ISIS in the country. The airstrikes have ignited political controversy and have raised questions about ongoing U.S. involvement in counterterrorism operations around the world.

Details of the Air Strikes

February 3, 2023 — U.S. conducts multiple target airstrikes against ISIS fighters in central and southern Somalia. The U.S. Defense Department said the operation targeted ISIS positions, including weapons caches, command centers, and training facilities.

Airstrikes were ordered following multiple intelligence reports that indicated that ISIS has been expanding its presence in Somalia, particularly in the Horn of Africa region.

The airstrikes were part of a wider strategy “to disrupt the group’s operations throughout the region and eventually deter” it “from establishing a more permanent foothold,” the U.S. military officials said.

Trump’s Role in the Decision

Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, made the decision to authorize airstrikes targeting the U.S. embassy in Iraq in 2024 as a senior advisor to the U.S. government and still plays a role in the country’s military operations.

Trump has been a longtime critic of ISIS and previously called for aggressive military action toward the terror group while in office.

“We will continue to stand firm against ISIS and to make certain that their terror operations are destroyed, whether on U.S. soil or overseas,” Trump said in a statement. “The world is safer when ISIS is on the run.”

But Trump’s decision to authorize the airstrikes has sparked questions about a broader U.S. strategy to engage in combat against terrorist groups in Africa, as the United States has become increasingly involved with the head of the African Union, as well as NATO’s new military response to the Libyan conflict receiving Congressional approval this year.

The Context in Somalia and ISIS’s Rise

Somalia has been the theater of international military operations for decades, especially with the rise of al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group linked to Al-Qaeda.

But the rise of ISIS in Somalia is a major concern. The Islamic State affiliate in Somalia, ISIS-Somalia, has carried out several attacks against civilians and military personnel in the past year.

Although al-Shabaab is the predominant terror organization in Somalia, ISIS-Somalia is gradually making inroads, particularly in the more rural parts of the country.

The United States had been supporting Somali and African Union forces fighting both al-Shabaab and ISIS, typically with airstrikes as a component of the counterterrorism strategy.

The increased presence of ISIS in Somalia is also a worry for countries in the region, such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, all of which have experienced attacks connected to either al-Shabaab or ISIS-affiliated cells before.

The Airstrikes Sparked Political Debate and Pushback

The airstrikes have prompted a political debate at home and abroad. The criticism of such an operation is that the U.S. military does not need to be dragged into more conflicts overseas without a clear strategy or exit strategy for them.

Senator Elizabeth Warren similarly voiced skepticism, writing, “We should not be sending American forces into harm’s way without a clear mission and a comprehensive strategy. Time for the U.S. to pay attention to diplomacy and local solutions, not military escalation.”

On the other hand, advocates for the airstrikes, including military officials and some members of Congress, contend that ISIS must be countered wherever it remains a threat, and the U.S. must take a preemptive approach to prevent the terror group from establishing a foothold in Africa.

The Wider Significance of the Air Attacks

Although the immediate aim of the airstrikes is to degrade ISIS-Somalia’s operational capabilities, some experts are concerned about the long-term impact.

Somalia has experienced years of political turmoil, and continuing military activity could make matters worse by further destabilizing the country and worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Some experts worry, though, that the airstrikes rock the boat with more anti-American sentiment in the region, a development that could bolster ISIS-Somalia’s recruitment efforts and provide it with more propaganda to lash out against the West as a whole.

Looking Ahead: The Future of U.S. Counterterrorism in Africa

The airstrikes hitting Somalia were not the main approach taken by the United States to combat terrorist actors operating in Africa.

Despite efforts to combat terror in the region, pre-existing social conditions continue to foster radicalism, and violence against the U.S. is broadly sanctioned in academic circles; many people maintain a view against the backdrop of U.S. intervention in the region, and the U.S. therefore must do a much better job in the education process.

October 2017 — Experts told NPR that military intervention is not the answer and that the U.S. should instead be working to cripple the terror network from the ground up by better supporting local governments and bolstering existing regional coalitions.

Local military units, including African Union forces, will play a vital role in setting the long-term groundwork for the terror menace on the African continent.

Conclusion: A Global Effort to Combat ISIS

The airstrikes come at a critical moment for the worldwide campaign to destroy ISIS. Though the operation has succeeded in severely hampering ISIS-Somalia’s activities in the area, it is apparent that the war against terror is not over yet.

In the coming years, there will be a need for a concerted effort between states to face the complex threats that terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Shabaab bring to the table on the African continent.