By Mustafa Omar | 2025-04-26

The US military's aggressive targeting of "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) and al-Qaeda affiliates in the Middle East and Horn of Africa demonstrates its hardline stance against global terrorism, analysts say.

So far this year, US and partner forces have eliminated several prominent ISIS leaders, notably top global deputy Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai (aka Abu Khadijah), killed in a March 13 US-Iraqi operation in Iraq's Anbar province.

In Syria, a US airstrike on February 23 killed the senior military leader of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Deen, Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay.

A US airstrike on February 15 killed a senior Hurras al-Deen finance and logistics official in northwest Syria, and on January 30, a US airstrike in the same region killed Muhammad Salah al-Zabir, another senior leader of the group.

In the Horn of Africa, there has been "a significant increase in US counterterrorism activity," strategy analyst and Somali affairs expert Abdi Guled told Al-Fassel.

Recent US military operations "have had a significant impact on the capabilities of terrorist groups in the region, particularly at the leadership level," he said.

Somalia counterterrorism operations

US forces continue to target ISIS and al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab in Somalia.

A joint US-Somalia operation killed dozens of al-Shabaab fighters April 16 as they raided Adan Yabaal, a town Somali military commanders use as a base, the Somali government said.

"The targeted strike hit a site used by the militants as a gathering and hideout," the information ministry said, adding that reports indicate 12 operatives, including senior leaders, were eliminated.

A second air strike hit an unflagged ship and a smaller vessel in Somali territorial waters "transporting modern weaponry" for al-Shabaab, killing all aboard.

A March 29 US strike conducted in coordination with the Somali government killed several ISIS operatives in Somalia's Puntland region, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.

The raid hit "multiple ISIS-Somalia targets" southeast of Bosasso, it said.

A similar operation on March 26 that killed multiple ISIS fighters complemented "a larger counter-terrorism initiative" under way in Somalia, AFRICOM said.

Puntland authorities said US strikes in February killed "key figures" in ISIS, AFP reported.

US-Somali cooperation is "a necessary alliance between two parties seeking to confront an enemy that threatens their common security and interests," said Jordanian researcher Islam Abdullah, who focuses on extremist ideology.

"ISIS and other groups are constantly working to reorganize themselves, and some have been able to resume some of their activities under the radar of the world's attention," she told Al-Fassel.

Countries facing a terrorist threat must "increase their level of vigilance and enhance coordination with the United States," Abdullah said.