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US Military: Airstrikes Kill 17 IS Fighters in Somalia

U.S. airstrikes in Somalia have killed 17 Islamic State fighters this week, according to the U.S. military.

U.S. airstrikes in Somalia have killed 17 Islamic State fighters this week, according to the U.S. military.

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said a strike against the terrorist group in the Golis Mountains left 13 suspected militants dead on May 8, and another strike in the same region a day later killed four.

An AFRICOM statement said, “Currently, we assess no civilians were injured or killed as a result” of the airstrikes.

The U.S. military has stepped up its campaign of airstrikes in Somalia since President Donald Trump took office and says it has killed more than 800 militants in two years.

In April, the U.S. military said it had killed Abdulhakim Dhuqub, an IS leader in Somalia.

While IS has been mostly active in Somalia’s northern Puntland region, it is not the only terrorist group in the country. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group maintains the largest presence of Islamist militants in Somalia, although some of its members have defected to IS.

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