Monday June 16, 2025
FILE – Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni is seen during a past high-level meeting in Garowe, Puntland’s administrative capital. In remarks delivered on June 16, 2025, Deni blamed the Islamic State (ISIS) for draining the region’s economy through extortion and cross-border fund transfers, amid ongoing military operations in the Al-Miskaad mountains.
Mogadishu (HOL) — Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni on Monday attributed the region’s worsening economic crisis to the persistent presence of ISIS militants in the Al-Miskaad mountain range, accusing the group of extorting millions of dollars from residents and transferring the funds abroad to finance transnational terror operations.
“The main reason for Puntland’s economic downturn is the presence of ISIS in Al-Miskaad,” Deni said Monday at a banking development forum in Garowe. “When we reached Al-Miskaad, we found evidence showing that millions of dollars had been transferred using the telecommunications networks operating in Puntland. That money was sent directly from inside Puntland to ISIS members in Mozambique and Nigeria.”
Deni said his government would soon publish a detailed study to expose the full extent of the financial and operational damage caused by ISIS.
“We will make these findings public,” he said. “The people have the right to know how deeply this network has infiltrated the region’s economy.”
According to Deni, the group had been collecting money through mobile payment platforms commonly used in Somalia, moving funds outside the country to support ISIS-linked operations elsewhere.
“The money collected from the people of Puntland was being sent to other countries to fund operations by the Daesh group in nations across Africa and Asia,” he said.
Puntland has been engaged in military operations against ISIS in the Al-Miskaad range for several years. In February 2025, Puntland deployed elite forces to conduct a final sweep of the area, supported by airstrikes that reportedly killed more than 30 fighters, according to Puntland security officials.
As of this week, Puntland forces declared control over 98% of the Al-Miskaad mountains—a critical ISIS stronghold—following the third phase of “Hillaac Operation,” a major campaign against the group. While Puntland confirmed that ISIS leader Abdikadir Mumin had escaped the area, his deputy, Abdirahman Fahiye Isse Mohamud, is believed to still be in hiding. President Deni launched the fourth phase of the offensive on Sunday, aimed at clearing remaining militant pockets and restoring full territorial control.
Puntland has also enhanced its military capabilities, recently seizing explosive ISIS drones in a major tactical victory, signaling an escalation in the fight against militants.
Deni claimed Puntland has borne the brunt of the financial and security burden during the operations.
“Puntland has spent millions of dollars in the war against ISIS,” Deni said. “The support from foreign governments has been limited to air and ground assistance, but the heaviest burden has fallen on Puntland itself.”
The Islamic State’s Somali branch first emerged in 2015 after a faction of Al-Shabaab fighters defected. While significantly smaller than Al-Shabaab, the group has maintained a foothold in the mountainous terrain of Bari, using the area for extortion, smuggling, and small-scale gold mining.
Deni’s remarks come against a backdrop of strained federal–regional relations. In March, Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi publicly accused the Puntland administration of rejecting offers of federal assistance in the fight against ISIS.
Deni, however, maintained that Puntland’s leadership has led the fight on its own. “We have carried the heaviest burden,” he said.
