Friday February 14, 2025
Puntland Minister of Information, Mohamud Aydid Dirir, speaks to the media during a frontline visit.
Garowe (HOL) — Puntland officials say ISIS militants are now confined to a 15-kilometre mountainous area as regional forces intensify efforts to eradicate the group from its last remaining stronghold.
Puntland’s Minister of Information, Mohamud Aydid Dirir, stated that the terror group, once entrenched across vast swathes of the Bari region, now clings to 40 square kilometres of dwindling territory as government troops expand military operations in the Al Miskaad region. He stated that once militants are flushed out from the rugged terrain, Puntland forces will move into open areas where military vehicles can be effectively deployed.
“We are closing in on their final hideouts, and soon, ISIS will be eradicated from this region,” Dirir said. He claimed Puntland forces have already achieved significant territorial gains, suggesting the operation is in its final phase.
Despite the offensive’s momentum, Dirir accused Somalia’s federal government of failing to provide weapons and ammunition to troops battling ISIS.
“The federal government has completely failed in its obligation to support this fight,” Dirir said. “It is unacceptable that resources meant for the national effort against terrorism remain centralized in Mogadishu while frontline troops lack critical supplies.”
Puntland has been leading military offensives against ISIS fighters for weeks, aiming to dismantle their last hideouts and deny them safe havens. Regional officials maintain that operations will continue until the group is fully neutralized.
Military officials stress that operations will continue until ISIS’s presence is completely wiped out from Puntland, a region that has remained largely autonomous amid Somalia’s ongoing instability.
