Puntland Mobilises Forces to Counter ISIS Presence in Cal Miskaad Mountains

[Deeq A.]

Ilyas: ”The unity of the Puntland people was demonstrated in 2016 in Suuj and Garmaal, when citizens repelled a surprise Al-Shabaab attack on North Mudug and Nugaal. Every individual in Puntland took up arms.”

Garowe (PP News Desk) — The Puntland State of Somalia has announced a military campaign against terrorist groups hiding in a remote mountainous area of the Bari region.

The Vice President of Puntland, Ilyaas Cismaan Lugatoor, said that the government “is launching a unified offensive aimed at eliminating terrorist groups.”

Lugatoor urged the people of Puntland to support the campaign against terrorism and act as a civil defence force to help cleanse Puntland’s regions of extremists.

“The unity of the Puntland people was demonstrated in 2016 in Suuj and Garmaal, when citizens repelled a surprise Al-Shabaab attack on North Mudug and Nugaal. Every individual in Puntland took up arms. The Puntland State will carry out a similar campaign to fight extremists,” said the Vice President.

“This will be a war that unites Puntland. Everyone, including women preparing food for soldiers and civil defence forces, will contribute to ridding Puntland of these terrorists,” he added.

The Vice President’s statement comes at a time when reports suggest that ISIS militants have strengthened their presence in the Cal Miskaad mountains of the Bari region. The Puntland State government successfully rooted out Al-Shabaab cells in North Mudug, resulting in a marked decrease in Al-Shabaab assassinations in Mudug and Bari. This success was achieved through cooperation between the Puntland security service and police. More than 35 Al-Shabaab operatives were tried, found guilty of terror crimes, and executed by firing squad.

© Puntland Post 2024

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