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Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni says regional forces have dealt a devastating blow to ISIS fighters in northeastern Somalia after years of heavy fighting in the Calmiskaad Mountains.
In an interview, Deni revealed that more than 2,000 militants—most of them foreigners—once operated in the rugged mountain ranges, but now only a few hundred remain. According to him, ISIS has been reduced to scattered cells of about ten fighters each, no longer able to pose the kind of threat they once did. “The forces have defeated the militants’ power by 95 percent,” he said.
The president explained that ISIS had tried to establish a strong base in Puntland, stockpiling weapons, setting up hidden camps, and even building small factories to make their own arms. Their goal, he said, was to dig in permanently along the Jaceel River and in the surrounding mountains. But relentless military pressure has stripped them of this ability.
The offensive has not been easy. Deni admitted the price has been extremely high, with hundreds of Puntland soldiers killed and thousands more injured since the fighting began. Despite the sacrifices, he said the campaign has been crucial to protecting Puntland’s security and stability.
He also credited outside partners, thanking the United States and the United Arab Emirates for providing what he described as “visible support.” This included targeted airstrikes and intelligence sharing that helped weaken ISIS positions and disrupt their networks. One of the most significant successes was in June, when Puntland’s intelligence services uncovered and stopped a planned ISIS assault on the port city of Bosaso before it could take place.
ISIS fighters first appeared in Puntland almost a decade ago, taking advantage of the remote, mountainous terrain to carve out a base far from central authority. Unlike al-Shabaab, which has tens of thousands of fighters across Somalia, ISIS in the country has always remained a much smaller movement. Still, Deni said the group’s attempts to expand in Puntland were serious and dangerous, requiring years of determined military campaigns to push them back.
Today, Puntland forces continue to track down the remnants of the group. Deni stressed that the extremists are no longer capable of holding ground or running large-scale operations. Instead, they have been reduced to survival tactics—hiding in small cells, avoiding open battles, and relying on scattered resources. While he acknowledged that ISIS has not been completely wiped out, he said their power has been crippled to the point where they no longer pose the threat they once did.
The Puntland leader’s comments mark the most detailed account he has given so far about the fight against ISIS in the region. His message was both one of warning and reassurance: warning that the battle has come at a steep human cost, but reassurance that the group is now largely broken and unable to achieve its ambitions in northeastern Somalia.
For Deni, the fight against ISIS is a story of sacrifice, resilience, and international cooperation. While Puntland forces bore the heaviest losses, outside partners played a critical role in helping dismantle a threat that could have destabilized the entire Horn of Africa. As the campaign enters its later stages, the challenge will be preventing the remaining militants from regrouping and ensuring that communities in Puntland can move forward without fear of extremist violence.