FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. is ramping up a series of strikes against Islamist terrorists in Somalia to mitigate the real danger of jihadi attacks on the U.S. homeland.
The terrorists are predominantly linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) or al Qaeda, as stated by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, the second-highest ranking officer at U.S. Africa Command, who spoke exclusively with Digital last week.
Brennan, a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, confirmed, “There are ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the U.S. homeland as well as Europe. That’s the core of the threat.”
“So consider,” Brennan said, “American citizens are recruited on social media to carry out harmful acts within the U.S. Then there are those capable of larger-scale attacks. Over the years since 9/11, we’ve prevented many such incidents because of our actions overseas, so we’re taking the fight abroad.”
He continued, “When a terrorist organization like ISIS is given time and space to plot, ISIS and terrorist-led attacks can occur. If they’re on the run and constantly worried about survival, they’re less able to plan effectively.”
The U.S., with its strike and intelligence capabilities, is on an aggressive campaign to break the grip of terror in Somalia and prevent the country from becoming what the State Department labeled in 2017 as “a [certain state].”
In 2025, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), working with Somali and other partners, conducted 124 airstrikes on ISIS-Somalia (Islamic State) and al-Shabab jihadi terrorists and their facilities in Somalia, which is 12 times the number of missions flown under the Biden administration in 2024.
In the first month of 2026, the U.S. has launched another 26 attacks – 2.5 more than the 10 carried out throughout 2024.
General Brennan told Digital that the focus of Islamist terrorism has shifted from the Middle East to Africa, specifically to Somalia. “Abdulqadir Mumin, the caliph – absolute leader – of the global ISIS network, is Somali, and he is in the Somali Golis Mountains along with many of his key leaders. From that location, they orchestrate terrorist activities not just across Africa, but also global ISIS operations targeting the Far East, Europe, and the U.S.”
President Trump, speaking about Somalia in February 2025, shared on his Truth Social platform, “To ISIS and all others who would attack Americans, our message is ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!'”
When asked by Digital this week if U.S. forces are pursuing ISIS leader Mumin, Gen. Brennan replied, “Yes, absolutely. We want to ensure he lacks any safe haven. History has shown that ISIS caliphs eventually get located and eliminated by us.”
“We’re currently at the fourth position,” he added. The most notorious, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was located and eliminated in Syria.
In Somalia, the Islamic State is represented by the local affiliate ISIS-Somalia. “We’ve achieved significant success in targeting that network, ISIS-Somalia,” he said.
“Our partners have reclaimed large areas of territory. We’ve facilitated through intelligence sharing ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and airstrikes. More than half of the territory that ISIS Somalia once held in Puntland – an autonomous state in northeastern Somalia – is now under the control of the Puntland Defense Forces.”
“They’ve carried out extensive clearing operations, reclaiming territory, capturing numerous ISIS operatives, as well as a great deal of their material. But again, our main mission is to ensure none of this threat returns to our homeland. I think we’ve been quite successful, and if the PDF continues its efforts, ISIS Somalia may cease to exist before long. That’s our ultimate goal,” he said.
However, al Shabab, the local al Qaeda-linked group, remains a problem in Somalia. He stated, “In the south, you have al Shabab, and that threat has evolved over the past year or so as they coordinate with the Houthis.”
“It’s not as much of an external operations threat,” the general continued, “but in reality, al Shabab is, I believe, the most powerful, largest, and best-funded component, and their aim is to seize control of Mogadishu and turn Somalia into an al Qaeda caliphate.”
Brennan said that in 2026, the U.S. role in Somalia is increasingly “remote advising and assistance,” with most Somali troops using their own ground assault vehicles. He added that on occasion, they “transport them to operations” – moving them to raids with U.S. helicopters and providing airstrike support.
AFRICOM offers advanced intelligence resources. Brennan said, “We’ve provided them with tools that enable them to view what the ISR aircraft are seeing. We can show them information on a moving map that they carry on their chest.”
Ambassador Robert Scott, a senior career diplomat appointed by the State Department in 2023 to serve as deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement with Africom, told Digital that partners have shouldered the burden alongside AFRICOM – “not just Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, but also Somaliland, particularly Puntland, and Jubaland. So we’re finding partners willing to fight against both ISIS and al Shabab. I think it’s been very effective.”
Brennan also mentions that U.S. military activity in Somalia may result in “There are natural resources in Somalia that, due to the security situation, the Somalis have not reaped benefits from,” he added. “Now the Somalis are realizing they may have critical minerals.”
“There’s LNG (liquefied natural gas) off the coast of Mogadishu, so from an African perspective, our biggest weapon system is our private sector economy. If we can bring in private sector investment similar to other African countries, that ensures security.”