U.S. airstrikes target ISIS leader Abdulkadir Mumin in Somalia's Puntland

GAROWE, Somalia — New details have emerged from U.S. military operations in the Calmiskaad mountains of Somalia's Bari region, where airstrikes were carried out on February 1, 2025, following orders from President Donald Trump.

Sources confirmed to Garowe Online, that some of these strikes specifically targeted underground caves, notably a significant one believed to have served as a hideout for the leader of the ISIS branch in Somalia Abdulkadir Mumin, and another senior commander identified as Abdirahman Fahiye.

The airstrikes which became the first since Trump assumed office, were executed by F/A-18 jets from the USS Harry S. Truman on the Red Sea, according to the sources.

Neither the U.S. nor Puntland has officially confirmed the identities of those killed in the airstrikes. However, Gen. Mahamoud Mohamed Ahmed who is leading Puntland's counterterrorism operation against ISIS reported that over 46 militants were eliminated, including foreign fighters. 

The airstrikes underscore the ongoing efforts by U.S. and local forces to dismantle ISIS presence in Somalia, particularly in the hard-to-reach mountainous areas in Puntland where insurgents often seek refuge and train their fighters as well as plot the attacks. 

GAROWE ONLINE