Sunday April 20, 2025
Garowe (HOL) — Puntland security forces have thwarted a major ISIS suicide bombing attempt in the Togga Miraale area, killing eight attackers and confirming that two others detonated their explosives before reaching their targets, officials said on Saturday.
Spokesperson for Operation Hillaac, General Mahmoud Ahmed Faadhigo, said the attempted suicide assault took place over the last two days as ISIS fighters targeted a key front line in the ongoing military campaign to eradicate the group from the Calmiskaad mountain range.
Ten Puntland soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded in the ensuing six-hour battle and the explosions, according to General Faadhigo. The spokesman said ISIS operatives, entrenched in fortified caves and using heavy weapons, launched a fierce defense of their last stronghold.
“Despite the resistance, our forces remain determined. We have reached the critical phase of our operation to eliminate ISIS from Togga Miraale and surrounding areas,” Faadhigo said.
Security sources confirmed that ISIS fighters had turned the rugged terrain into a hardened base, embedding heavy machine guns and explosive devices in natural cave defences. Senior ISIS leaders are suspected to be hiding in the area, prompting intensified military pressure.
After briefly retreating due to heavy resistance, Puntland troops regrouped and relaunched an offensive on Saturday targeting the mountain caves. Fighting reportedly continues as troops push into what they describe as the third and final phase of the campaign.
The operation in the Calmiskaad mountains follows weeks of heavy combat and drone-assisted strikes that have dismantled several ISIS hideouts in northeastern Somalia. Puntland officials have vowed to continue the offensive until the militant group is completely eradicated from the region.
ISIS, officially known as Islamic State and designated a terrorist organization by Somalia, the United Nations, the United States, and other international bodies, has been active in northeastern Somalia since 2015, primarily in the Bari region.
