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Three Ethiopian men, who were part of the ISIS militant group, have surrendered to security forces in Puntland, a regional state in Somalia. The men, who belong to Ethiopia’s Oromo ethnic group, gave themselves up on Sunday in the Al-Miskaat Mountains area.
According to Puntland officials, the men had escaped from ISIS and approached villagers in the Al-Khalifa Mountains, asking for help to surrender to the authorities. The villagers informed the security forces, and the men were taken into custody.
General Mohamud Mohamed Ahmed, also known as Faadhigo, is the spokesperson for the ongoing military operation in the Al-Miskaat region. He said the men seemed to have been forced to join ISIS. When they saw an opportunity to escape, they took it and made their way to local communities for help.
The surrendered men were later moved to the Buruc area for their safety. From there, they will be taken to the coastal city of Bosaso, where Puntland’s criminal investigation authorities will question them further and decide the next steps.
General Faadhigo highlighted an important difference between the Ethiopian men and other foreign ISIS fighters in the region. He said, “These white men in the group, wherever they come from, are international fighters. They do not surrender easily. In fact, it is often easier to kill them than capture them.” He suggested that the Ethiopian men were different because they were likely forced into ISIS and were looking for a way out, while many of the foreign fighters remain loyal to the group until the end.
The Puntland forces, along with help from international partners, have been carrying out military operations in the Al-Miskaat Mountains. General Faadhigo said that several important ISIS camps and positions in the mountains have recently been destroyed by airstrikes.
As Puntland forces regained control of areas that were once held by ISIS, they made disturbing discoveries. In some locations, they found mass graves, which are believed to hold the bodies of ISIS fighters. The exact number of bodies or how they died was not revealed, but investigations are ongoing.
General Faadhigo also mentioned that ISIS fighters who are still in the Togga Miraale area are now on the run. He said that Puntland forces are monitoring them closely, but he did not give details about their exact location or how many fighters are left.
The surrender of the Ethiopian men shows that ISIS is under growing pressure in the region. The group, which has been active in northern Somalia for several years, is now losing territory and fighters due to ongoing military operations by Puntland forces and their international allies.
Officials believe that the success of these operations is encouraging more people who were forced to join ISIS to surrender. However, they also warn that some hardcore members of the group are still dangerous and not likely to give up easily.
The authorities are now focusing on finding and eliminating the remaining ISIS hideouts and stopping the group from regrouping in other parts of the region.
The surrendered fighters will likely provide valuable information to investigators, including details about ISIS operations, recruitment methods, and the location of other fighters. This could help Puntland forces continue their fight against terrorism in the region and prevent future attacks.
The situation remains tense, but officials say they are making good progress in weakening ISIS’s hold on the area.