FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. is mounting an increasing blitz of air attacks and military missions against Islamist terrorists in Somalia to reduce the threat of jihadi attacks on the U.S. homeland.

The terrorists are said to be mainly affiliated with Islamic State (ISIS) or al Qaeda. This is according to U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, the second highest-ranking officer at U.S. Africa Command, who talked exclusively last week to Fox News Digital.

Brennan, a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, confirmed, "There's ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the United States homeland as well as Europe. So that's kind of the nexus of the threat."

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"So think," Brennan said, "American citizens on social media get recruited to do bad things inside America. And then there's ISIS lead and ISIS resource cells that are capable of larger-scale attacks. We've stopped, over the history since 9/11, a lot of those from happening, because of what we do overseas, so we're playing the away game."

He continued, "When you give a terrorist organization that has resourcing like ISIS time and space to plot and plan, those ISIS and terrorist-led attacks can happen. If they're on the run, and they're constantly worried about surviving, they can't be as effective at planning and plotting."

The U.S., with strikes and intelligence capabilities, is on an aggressive campaign to smash terror’s hold on Somalia, and stop the country from being what the State Department described in 2017 as "a terrorist safe haven".

In 2025, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), working with Somali and other partners, carried out 124 airstrikes on ISIS-Somalia (Islamic State) and al-Shabab jihadi terrorists and their facilities in Somalia, 12 times the amount of missions flown under the Biden administration in 2024. 

In the first month of 2026, the U.S. has staged another 26 attacks – 2½ more than the 10 that were carried out in the whole of 2024.

The focus of Islamist terror has moved from the Middle East to Africa, and specifically to Somalia, Brennan told Fox News Digital. "The caliph — absolute leader — of the global ISIS network, Abdulqadir Mumin, is a Somali, and he is in the (Somali) Golis Mountains along with a lot of his key leaders. And from that location they direct terrorist activities, not just across Africa. He is directing global ISIS operations that go to the Far East, Europe and the U.S."

President Donald Trump, referring to Somalia in February 2025, posted on his Truth Social account, "The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!’"

Asked by Fox News Digital this week whether U.S. forces are hunting the ISIS leader Mumin, Brennan replied, "Yes, absolutely. We want to make sure he has no safe space anywhere. History has shown that the ISIS caliph ends up getting killed by us at some point."

"We’re on no. 4 right now," he added. The most notorious, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hunted down in Syria.

In Somalia, the Islamic State is represented by ISIS-Somalia. "We've had a lot of success targeting that network, ISIS-Somalia," he said.

"We've taken large swathes of terrain back — our partners have. We've just enabled with intel sharing ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and fires — airstrikes. About well over half the territory that ISIS Somalia once maintained up in Puntland — an autonomous state in North-Eastern Somalia — is now under the control of the Puntland Defense Forces."

"They've conducted a massive amount of clearing operations, taking back terrain, capturing a great number of ISIS operatives, as well as a lot of their material. But again, our main mission is to secure the homeland — make sure that none of this threat migrates back to our shores. I think we've been pretty successful at that and if the PDF can continue what they're doing, ISIS Somalia may cease to exist before too long. That's our ultimate goal," he said.

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Al-Shabab, the local al Qaeda affiliate, is, however, still a problem in Somalia. He said, "In the south you have al-Shabab, and that threat has definitely morphed over the last year or so, as they are coordinating with the Houthis."

"Not as much (an) external operations threat," the general continued, "but in fact, al-Shabab is, I think, the strongest, largest, most well financed part of the al Qaeda global franchise and their desire is to take over Mogadishu and turn Somalia into an al Qaeda caliphate."

The U.S. role in Somalia in 2026 is increasingly "remote advise and assist," with most of the Somali troops using their own ground assault vehicles, Brennan said, adding that on occasion they provide them "with a ride to work" — transporting them to raids on U.S. helicopters and providing airstrike support.

AFRICOM provides advanced intelligence capabilities. Brennan said, "We've given them tools that allow them to see what the ISR aircraft are seeing. We can show them things on a moving map that they're carrying on their chest."

Ambassador Robert Scott, a senior career diplomat who was brought in by the State Department in 2023 to serve as deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement with AFRICOM, told Fox News Digital that governments around Somalia have been able to share the burden with AFRICOM — "not only Kenya and Ethiopia and Uganda, but also Somaliland, Puntland especially (and) also Jubaland. So (we are) finding partners who are willing to engage in the fight against both ISIS and al Shabab. I think it's been very effective."

Brennan also says the U.S. military activity in Somalia could lead to huge trade potential. "There's natural resources in Somalia that, because of the security situation, the Somalis have not benefited from," he added. "Now the Somalis are realizing they may have critical minerals."

"There's LNG (liquified natural gas) off the coast of Mogadishu, so that our biggest weapon system, if you will, from an African perspective, is our private sector economy. If we can get that in there with private sector investment similar to other countries in Africa, that is a guarantor of security."       

The Syrian army’s rapid-fire conquest of important areas and towns previously controlled by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), culminated on Sunday in a fragile ceasefire agreement with a stern warning from a powerful U.S. Senator and experts about the reported crimes of forces controlled by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Jim Risch, R-Idaho., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital, "The Syrian government’s decree to respect Kurdish rights is a good sign, but the conduct of its forces on the ground must match. Division and violence in Syria between U.S. partners only benefit bad actors like ISIS and Iran who exploit Syria to use as a breeding ground for international terrorism, including against the U.S. I welcome the announcement of a ceasefire and will be watching its implementation closely."

Al-Sharaa, a former U.S.-designated terrorist who was a member of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, greenlighted an incursion into territory ruled peacefully by the SDF for over a decade.

Amid Risch's warning, reports coming out of Syria claim skirmishes between the Syrian army and SDF are continuing. 

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The news organization, Kurdistan 24, showed alleged footage of  al-Sharaa’s forces releasing Islamic State prisoners. According to the report, "The Syrian Arab Army releases ISIS prisoners in al-Tabqah city." 

The footage has been widely posted on social media. Fox News Digital could not independently verify the video.

The State Department referred Fox News Digital to an X post from the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the Special Envoy for Syria. Barrack wrote on X about the deal between SDF General Mazloum Abdi and al-Sharra.

"Two great Syrian leaders, driven by the shared vision of liberating their country and people from tyranny, have now come together to forge a brighter future for all Syrians. This agreement and ceasefire represent a pivotal inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division."

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Barrack added, "President al-Sharaa has affirmed that the Kurds are an integral part of Syria, and the United States looks forward to the seamless integration of our historic partner in the fight against ISIS with the Global Coalition’s newest member, as we press forward in the enduring battle against terrorism."

However, the People's Protection Units (YPG) commander Sipan Hamo — a Syrian organization that is part of the SDF — said on the Saturday meeting between U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and Kurdish officials produced no roadmap to a ceasefire. He denied Syria's Kurds wanted to secede or create an independent state and said their future was in Syria.

"Our greatest hope is that there will be a tangible outcome, especially from the coalition and the United States, meaning that they will intervene more forcefully in the existing problems than what they are currently doing," Hamo said.

The head of the main Kurdish forces told Reuters that the U.S. should intervene more forcefully to end a Syrian offensive that has gained key territory from Kurdish fighters in recent days.

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Government troops launched an offensive on Saturday into territory run for the last decade by semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities in the northeast of Syria, capturing towns on both sides of the Euphrates River and the country's largest oil and gas field, officials and security sources said.

But given Kurdish "concerns about the changes taking place," the U.S. should offer assurances of protection to them.

Hamo said that, "In the current situation and the chaos we are living in, the only ones who can offer guarantees are the United States or the coalition," he added in a rare interview from Hasakeh province, which is still under Kurdish control.

"We believe that the responsibility for everything currently happening inside Syria lies with the Western countries, and especially the United States of America," he said.

"Of course, we consider Israel a powerful state in the region with its own agenda. We hope that the same stance taken by other countries in the region towards certain minorities in Syria will be extended to the Kurds as well," Hamo said.

Asked if he was referring to Israel's stance towards the Druze minority last summer — when Israel carried out air strikes on the defense ministry, near the presidential palace in Damascus and on Syrian troops advancing on Druze cities, Hamo said, "of course."

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Mutlu Civiroglu, a Kurdish affairs analyst, told Fox News Digital that, "President Trump has spoken about giving Syria and all its peoples a fresh opportunity to turn a new page. Yet, Ahmed al Sharaa’s actions appear to move against that intention, and many Kurds believe he is abusing the political space that was meant to support stability rather than deepen tensions. "

Civiroglu added that "I don’t think the U.S. is abandoning the Kurds, but President Trump’s good intention is being abused by Sharaa. Lawmakers in Washington have also expressed unease about the interim Syrian government’s treatment of minorities, which reflects broader questions about its commitment to inclusive governance."

Civiroglu posted footage on his popular X account of al-Sharaa supporters toppling "a statue of a female Kurdish fighter after interim Syrian government forces seized Tabqa from the SDF. Kurdish fighters backed by the United States had liberated the town from ISIS in May 2017."

Civiroglu said, "al-Sharaa’s confrontations with Kurdish forces, following earlier pressure on Alawite and Druze areas, reinforce doubts about the interim government’s legitimacy and its ability to represent Syria’s diverse population.

"The International community must remember that the Kurdish people have long fought alongside the United States, France and the West in the campaign against ISIS, and many are watching closely to see how these partners interpret the latest escalation," he said.

Max Abrahms, a leading expert on counter-terrorism and a professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital, "The YPG and then SDF were America’s primary counterterrorism forces against Islamic State in Syria during the war. Unlike the so-called "rebels," our Kurdish warrior friends exhibited both capability and moderation. It’s not surprising that the jihadists, upon taking power in Damascus, would turn their guns on the Kurdish forces. Of course, we need to stand with them."

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday a leader affiliated with al Qaeda who had direct ties to an ISIS terrorist responsible for killing two U.S. service members and an American interpreter Dec. 13 was killed in a U.S. strike in northwest Syria Friday.

CENTCOM officials said Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was "directly connected" with the ISIS gunman who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel last month in Palmyra, Syria.

"The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces," said CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper. "There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you."

CENTCOM launched large-scale strikes in Syria in response to the Dec. 13 attack.

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Operation Hawkeye Strike resulted in U.S. and partner forces hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons site targets with over 200 precision munitions.

More than 300 ISIS operatives were captured and more than 20 were killed across Syria within the past year, according to CENTCOM.

U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and members of their team in Damascus Jan. 10 to discuss recent developments in Aleppo and the broader path forward for Syria’s historic transition.

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In a statement on X, Barrack said President Donald Trump agreed to lift sanctions to "give Syria a chance" to move forward. 

"The United States Government welcomes Syria’s historic transition and extends its support to the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa as it works to stabilize the country, rebuild national institutions, and fulfill the aspirations of all Syrians for peace, security, and prosperity," Barrack wrote in the post.

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He added that the Syrian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the March 2025 integration agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) but called developments in Aleppo that "appear to challenge the terms of this agreement" deeply concerning.

"We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue in accordance with the March 10 and April 1, 2025 agreements between the Syrian government and the SDF," Barrack wrote. 

"Violence risks undermining the progress achieved since the fall of the Assad regime and invites external interference that serves no party’s interests. … The objective remains a sovereign, unified Syria — at peace with itself and its neighbors — where equality, justice, and opportunity are extended to all its people."

The U.S. stepped up airstrikes in Somalia in January, targeting al-Shabab and the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, ISS, according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

In a Jan. 12 release, AFRICOM said U.S. forces, working with the Somali federal government, carried out airstrikes against al-Shabab militants.

AFRICOM said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to "degrade the group’s ability to threaten the U.S. homeland, U.S. forces and Americans overseas."

Airstrikes against ISIS—Somalia were also reported on Jan. 11 and Jan. 9 in northern Somalia, including the Golis Mountains region of Puntland, southeast of Bosaso. 

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Additional airstrikes targeting al-Shabab were reported on Jan. 8, including one in the vicinity of Buur Heybo, about 154 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu.

The command said between the evening of Jan. 3–4, strikes were also conducted "in coordination with Somali authorities."

AFRICOM said in a release the strikes were part of a broader campaign conducted with Somali partners. No casualty figures were released.

The latest spate of operations comes amid a broader intensification of U.S. airstrikes in Somalia.

According to information released by AFRICOM, between Feb. 1, when the Trump administration conducted its first strike in Somalia in 2025, and June 10, the U.S. carried out 38 airstrikes against al-Shabab and the Islamic State in Somalia.

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AFRICOM has said additional strikes have been conducted since June 10.

Independent monitoring organizations have reported a rise in strikes since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2024, according to a report by the Combating Terrorism Center.

The report cited an April 2025 statement by AFRICOM commander Gen. Michael E. Langley before the Senate Armed Services Committee, in which he referenced the potential threat posed by jihadi groups in Africa to the U.S. homeland.

"We are acutely aware that if ISIS and al Qaeda groups continue their expansion, they will pose a direct threat to the U.S. homeland," Langley said.

"Given this environment, US AFRICOM will work collaboratively with the intelligence community and inter-agency partners to keep the risk to U.S. national security interests low," Langley said in a statement.

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Al-Shabab, an al Qaeda affiliate, has waged war on Somalia’s government since 2007 and continues to control territory in south-central Somalia.

ISIS-Somalia is a smaller faction concentrated largely in Puntland’s mountainous northeast, where it is also said to compete with al-Shabab for influence.

According to the U.S.-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Somalia’s conflict with armed groups was the third-deadliest in Africa through 2024, killing an estimated 7,289 people.

Fox News Digital has reached out to AFRICOM for comment.