The government of Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region said United States military strikes in the Golis mountains had killed "key figures" from the the Islamic State armed group.

"Recent airstrikes have led to the neutralisation of key figures within ISIS [the Islamic State armed group], marking a significant advancement as we progress into the second phase of our operation," the regional government said Sunday.

It called the US involvement in air strikes "invaluable" and expressed "sincere gratitude", but the statement did not provide more details on the strikes.

A Somali government statement said the operation in the Bari region was "jointly coordinated by the Somali and American governments" and had targeted "senior IS leaders".

US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the army had carried out airstrikes in the Golis mountains targeting a senior Islamic State attacker and other members of the group, killing many of them.

The strikes were carried out in a region where the Puntland Defence Forces have been carrying out operations against IS since December.

The group has a relatively small presence in Somalia, compared to the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab, but the UN has warned that it is growing.

The strikes send "a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies, even as we conduct robust border-protection and many other operations under President Trump's leadership," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement.

It is unclear if this operation was planned under the previous US administration of President Joe Biden.

The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia, the last one dating back to 2024 when three members of the IS were killed.

(with Reuters)