Somalia: Over 20 killed as Puntland forces battle Islamic State militants

BOSASO, Somalia - At least 20 people have been killed following intensive clashes between Puntland Security Forces and the Islamic State militants in Somalia, with the terror group losing critical frontlines during the week-long battles.

The clashes also left over 10 people critically wounded, with Puntland pledging to continue with the crackdown in the Bari region where the group mainly operates.

Brigadier General Mohamud Mohamed Ahmed, the spokesperson of the Puntland forces, told the VOA that 15 ISIS militants had been killed in the clashes on Sunday and Monday. The militants were using Improvised Explosive Devices in response to the operations by the local troops in Ufeyn, he said.

Unfortunately, he added, the clashes left six soldiers dead and three others wounded. Ahmed said the latest military operation, which centered around the Cal Miskat mountains in the Bari region, continued through Monday.

“On Monday, our soldiers encountered the terrorist fighters around the Laba-Afle area, killing seven of them. One of our soldiers was also killed and four others injured,” he said.

According to locals, bodies of militants were thrown along the roads leading to Cal Miskat mountains. The Puntland forces have been preparing for the crackdown for several months. The federal government through President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has acknowledged the progress.

The region’s leader, Said Abdullahi Deni, appealed to the public to support the operation, which he said is aimed at dislodging the Islamic State militants from their hideouts in mountainous areas.

The US recently said the group’s influence in Puntland was on an upward trajectory, adding that the militants in Bari were accessing revenues for operations. The State Department asked authorities in Puntland to be vigilant, with the group estimated to have close to 600 fighters.

IS in Somalia was formed in October 2015 by a group of former al-Shabab fighters led by the cleric Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin, who reportedly pledged allegiance to the late IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Mumin appears to have survived a U.S. airstrike on May 31, 2024.

GAROWE ONLINE