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US military performs first airstrikes against ISIS-linked fighters in Somalia – officials US military carries out first airstrikes against ISIS-linked fighters in Somalia
(about 1 hour later)
The US military has carried out airstrikes in northeastern Somalia, both Somali and US officials reported. They said the raid targeted fighters affiliated with Islamic State. The US military has launched two air raids in northeastern Somalia, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced. The airstrikes targeted fighters affiliated with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
According to an unidentified US official, at least two airstrikes were carried out on Friday. The alleged attack is the first US mission against the terrorist group in the East African country. At least two separate airstrikes were carried out on Friday, the US regional command said in a statement. The attacks represent Washington's first mission against the terrorist group in the East African country.
It wasn't immediately clear how many militants had been hit, the US official told media. An assessment was underway, the source said. "Several" terrorists were killed, the statement said, adding that the results of the airstrikes are currently being assessed.
A local security official said a remote mountainous village of Buqa in Somalia's northern state of Puntland had been targeted, AP reports. The unnamed Somali source claimed six missiles had struck the area. A local security official said a remote mountainous village of Buqa in Somalia's northern state of Puntland had been targeted, AP reports. The unnamed Somali source claimed that six missiles struck the area.
In late October, the chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, announced that Pentagon saw the continent as a new front line against IS. Claiming that the terrorist group "has aspirations to establish a larger presence" in Africa after being pushed out of Syria and Iraq, the military official said Pentagon planned to advise President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on the "allocation of forces." In late October, the chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, announced that Pentagon saw the continent as a new front line against IS. Claiming that the terrorist group "has aspirations to establish a larger presence" in Africa after being pushed out of Syria and Iraq, the military official said Pentagon planned to advise President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on the "allocation of forces." 
Currently, there are over 6,000 US troops stationed in a variety of African countries. More than a half of those are located in Djibouti, which borders Somalia. The Pentagon has previously confirmed fatalities among its military on the continent, when four US service members were killed in Niger in October, attacked by an IS-affiliated militant group.