Sunday November 2, 2025
Bosaso (HOL) — Puntland security forces have on Saturday captured
a foreign fighter from Saudi Arabia believed to be a member of the Islamic
State (ISIS) group during a large-scale operation in the Cal Miskaat mountains,
officials said Friday.
The arrest took place between the Arabi and Maragade areas,
a rugged terrain long used as a hideout by ISIS militants.
Officials leading the anti-ISIS offensive said the
operation, which has now reached its final stages in the Baallade River area,
has resulted in the capture of several ISIS members alive.
Puntland authorities have intensified counterterrorism
operations in the Bari region in recent months, targeting extremist cells that
have operated from mountain strongholds for years.
President Said Abdullahi Deni recently declared that
Puntland forces had dismantled ISIS’s military and financial networks in the
region, calling the campaign a significant step toward restoring lasting
security.
The ongoing operations mark one of Puntland’s most sustained
efforts in years to eliminate the militant group’s presence in northeastern
Somalia.