Trump takes gloves off America’s counterterrorism effort

President Donald Trump’s administration made it easier for the military to conduct strikes on terrorists across the globe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Friday.

CBS News first reported on Thursday that Trump expanded the authority of American commanders to conduct special operations and airstrikes outside of combat areas, rolling back restrictions from former President Joe Biden’s administration that constrained deployment, Hegseth confirmed in an X post. Among potential targets for strikes that have been discussed included al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist organization al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Biden effectively copied the rules from former President Barack Obama’s administration, with Trump aiming to return to the aggressive counter-terrorism operations emblematic of his first administration, according to CBS News. Under Biden, strikes normally focused on exclusively senior leadership.

Trump made numerous strikes against al-Shabaab during his first term, while also effectively wiping out ISIS in the Middle East, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. However, ISIS has recently grown a presence in Somalia, prompting increased attention to the region, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data.

Houthi rebels have been known to disrupt crucial shipping lanes in the Red Sea, while also aggressively targeting Israel with missile and drone attacks. U.S. forces have actively been involved in Yemen since 2000. Houthi rebels have also fired on U.S. naval vessels in the region.

Picking up from his first term, Trump began his second administration, striking a senior ISIS leader in Somalia on Feb. 1 and posting the footage online.

“ISIS and all others who would attack Americans: ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU! [sic]’” Trump said on X.

Fears of a resurgent ISIS were revived when U.S. officials warned in December the potential for thousands of ISIS fighters to escape detainment from a prison in Syria as Turkish-backed rebels advanced on the detainment facility. The toppling of former Syrian president Bashaar al-Assad’s regime threw the region into chaos, reigniting multiple fronts of rebel conflict.

Additionally, the U.S. left the West African nation of Niger in September 2024 after a military coup, with the new government claiming the U.S. presence was “illegal.” Niger was an important U.S. staging area for the fight against terrorism in Africa.

The Pentagon simply confirmed the change to the Daily Caller News Foundation when asked for comment.

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