Good morning! It’s February 2, 2025, and your Sunday briefing is here with the latest news in defense and global affairs. Here’s what’s happening today.
US Airstrikes Take Out Senior ISIS Planner in Somalia
The US military carried out airstrikes on ISIS targets in Somalia early Saturday, targeting a senior ISIS attack planner and his recruits in the Golis Mountains.
US President Donald Trump announced the strikes on Truth Social, making it clear that terrorists who threaten America will be hunted down.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that multiple ISIS operatives were killed, with no civilian casualties reported.
Somali military sources backed the claim, stating that the missiles precisely hit their targets and likely took out key terrorist leaders, including foreign fighters.
While ISIS operates in Somalia, its presence is much smaller than Al-Shabaab’s. However, intelligence suggests its influence is growing.
Trump sent a blunt message following the attack: “WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!”—leaving no doubt about the administration’s stance on counterterrorism.
Pentagon Ends Cultural Heritage Celebrations, Citing Military Unity
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is putting an end to Pentagon-funded celebrations of cultural heritage months, calling them divisive and unnecessary for military unity.
The new policy bans the use of Department of Defense resources—including time and funding—for events like Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month, among others.
Hegseth argues that the military should focus on its core mission rather than highlighting individual groups.
“Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the department’s warfighting mission,” the statement read, emphasizing that such events undermine camaraderie.
Service members can still attend cultural celebrations off duty, but the Pentagon is shifting its focus toward honoring military heroes of all backgrounds instead.
This move aligns with broader changes under the Trump administration, which has been rolling back policies it sees as politically motivated, including efforts to end “transgender ideology” in the military and reinstate troops dismissed over COVID-19 vaccine refusals.
US Army Identifies Black Hawk Pilot Killed in D.C. Collision
The US Army has identified Capt. Rebecca Lobach, 28, as one of the three soldiers killed in the tragic Black Hawk helicopter collision with a passenger plane over Washington, D.C.
The crash, which occurred Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport, claimed the lives of all 67 people on board both aircraft.
She was commissioned as an active-duty aviation officer in 2019 after graduating from the University of North Carolina’s ROTC program.
Her name was initially withheld from public release at her family’s request, fueling online speculation and conspiracy theories.
False claims circulated that a transgender pilot was involved, leading to a statement from the falsely accused officer condemning the misinformation.
Lobach was flying with Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves and Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara, both also killed in the crash.
As the Army aviation community mourns their loss, those who knew Lobach say they will carry forward her legacy of excellence and mentorship.
Russia Slams Trump’s Missile Shield, Warns of Space Arms Race
Russia isn’t happy about President Trump’s latest missile defense plan, calling it a dangerous move that could escalate military tensions in space.
The plan, dubbed an “Iron Dome for America,” aims to protect the US from ballistic and hypersonic missile threats by reviving parts of Reagan’s old “Star Wars” missile shield concept.
Moscow sees this as a direct challenge, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Washington of trying to weaken Russia and China’s nuclear deterrence.
She warned that militarizing space will only raise global tensions.
Trump’s proposed system borrows its name from Israel’s Iron Dome, which is designed to intercept short-range rockets. However, the threats the US faces—especially from Russia’s new hypersonic missile, “Oreshnik”—are on a different level.
Meanwhile, China is rapidly advancing its missile capabilities, further fueling the arms race.
Both the US and Russia have long accused each other of weaponizing space. Just last year, Washington claimed Moscow had deployed a “space weapon” dangerously close to an American satellite.
With Trump’s new push for space-based missile defense, this tension isn’t likely to ease anytime soon.
Burundi Warns Rwanda’s M23 Offensive Could Ignite Regional War
Burundi’s president is sounding the alarm on the worsening conflict in eastern DR Congo, warning that it could spill over into a full-blown regional war.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has taken control of Goma, a key city, and is now advancing south toward Kavumu, a strategic location home to a vital military airfield.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye didn’t hold back, stating that if Rwanda keeps expanding its influence in the region, the fighting could reach Burundi.
“If Eastern Congo does not have peace, the region has no peace,” he said on Saturday, highlighting the potential for wider chaos.
The conflict in eastern DR Congo has been raging for decades, with an estimated six million lives lost.
Burundi had deployed troops as part of a regional force to support Congo’s military, but most other foreign troops have since been accused of siding with anti-Kinshasa forces.
Russia Captures Village Near Toretsk as Ukraine Suffers Deadly Strikes
On Saturday, Russia claimed to have captured the village of Krymske, a key area near the embattled city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, as its slow but steady advance in Donetsk continues.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported a devastating night of Russian strikes, with at least eight people killed across multiple regions.
The attacks targeted residential areas in Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kherson, killing civilians and police officers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again called for more air defense support, urging allies to step up pressure on Russia.
This escalation comes as Ukraine marks nearly three years of war, with fighting intensifying in Toretsk and Chasiv Yar—strategic locations where Russian troops have been locked in urban battles for months.
On the other side, Moscow says its strikes hit Ukraine’s energy and military infrastructure.
RSF Strikes Sudanese Market, Adding to Growing Death Toll
Sudan’s brutal civil war took another deadly turn Saturday after an attack on an open market in Omdurman left at least 54 people dead and 158 wounded.
The assault, carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted the crowded Sabrein Market, with many women and children among the casualties, according to health officials.
The Sudanese government condemned the attack, calling it a blatant violation of international law, while the country’s doctors’ syndicate reported that a hospital treating victims was overwhelmed and running low on medical staff.
This is just the latest in a string of RSF-led assaults—last week, about 70 people were killed when the group attacked the only functioning hospital in El Fasher, Darfur.
Since the war erupted in April 2023, Sudan has been plunged into chaos. Over 28,000 people have been killed, millions displaced, and famine is setting in.
The US has accused the RSF of committing genocide, while the International Criminal Court is investigating war crimes.
Although the RSF is still a major force, it has been losing ground to the Sudanese military, which has recently regained control of key areas, including the strategic city of Wad Medani and the country’s largest oil refinery.
Sources: News Agencies, Department of Defense
