Somalia: Puntland Forces Weakened ISIS in Al-Miskaad Mountains, says President

GAROWE, Somalia — Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni said his Federal State's Forces have severely weakened the Islamic State group’s presence in the Bari region, northeastern Somalia, claiming that more than 2,000 fighters—most of them foreigners—once based in the Cal Miskaad mountains have been largely neutralized.

In a televised interview, Deni said Puntland’s intelligence services recently foiled a planned ISIS attack on the port city of Bosaso in June after receiving early warning of the plot. He credited the region’s security forces with reducing the group's power by 95 percent.

“ISIS used to be deeply entrenched along the Jaceel River area, but now they’ve been reduced to scattered cells of fewer than 10 fighters each,” Deni said.

According to the president, the militants had built military bases, weapons stockpiles, and small arms manufacturing workshops in the mountainous region—clear evidence, he said, that they aimed to establish a long-term stronghold in Puntland.

The military campaign, however, has come at a high cost. Deni acknowledged that hundreds of Puntland soldiers were killed and thousands more wounded during the years-long offensive.

He extended special thanks to the United States and the United Arab Emirates for what he called “visible support” in the form of airstrikes and intelligence sharing.

ISIS established a foothold in Puntland nearly a decade ago but has remained much smaller and less influential than the al-Shabab insurgency operating across southern and central Somalia.

Deni’s comments mark his most detailed public account of Puntland’s fight against the Islamic State faction and its enduring threat to regional security.

GAROWE ONLINE