Feb. 1 (UPI) — Multiple ISIS-Somalia operatives died in coordinated airstrikes carried out Saturday by the U.S. Africa Command in the Golis Mountains in Somalia.

President Donald Trump ordered the strikes, which were done in coordination with the Somalian government, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Saturday in an online announcement by the Department of Defense.

“Our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed,” Hegseth said.

“This action further degrades ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners and innocent civilians,” Hegseth continued, “and sends a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies.”

Trump confirmed he ordered the military strike that he said struck ISIS-Somalia operatives who were sheltered in caves.

“This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the senior ISIS attack planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Trump said Saturday in a post on X.

“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump said. “The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in anyway, harming civilians.

“Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done. I did! The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU! [sic]'”

Protecting civilians is a “vital part” of the Africa Command’s operations to “promote a more secure and stable Africa,” U.S. Africa Command officials said in a news release.

The Africa Command said it takes “great measures” to prevent civilians from being harmed during military operations.

The command said it will not release details about the operation to ensure continued operational security.

The Golis Mountains are a chain of 258 mountains located in the Somaliland region of northern Somalia near the Gulf of Aden and include the highest point in Somalia at 4,498 feet above sea level.

The U.S. military previously has targeted ISIS and al-Shabaab operatives associated with al Qaeda in Somalia during past airstrikes in Somalia.