Mogadishu, Somalia — In a major escalation of U.S. military operations in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. Navy carried out its largest-ever airstrike launched from an aircraft carrier during a mission in Somalia on February 1, according to Admiral James Kilby, the acting Chief of Naval Operations.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Admiral Kilby revealed that 16 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets took off from the USS Harry S. Truman and dropped a staggering 125,000 pounds (62.5 tons) of munitions. The operation, aimed at eliminating a high-value ISIS target in Somalia, represents the most significant use of carrier-based firepower in modern U.S. military history.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the strike resulted in the deaths of 14 ISIS operatives. While large in scale, the payload used was still significantly smaller than the 15,000-ton TNT equivalent of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
The unprecedented show of force highlights a shift in U.S. strategy in Somalia, where ISIS and al-Shabaab militants have been increasingly active despite years of counterterrorism efforts. U.S. officials did not disclose whether Somali authorities were involved in planning or approving the operation.
Security analysts suggest the strike sends a powerful message to militant groups and their international backers, while also raising questions about the future scale and scope of U.S. military engagement in the region.