
Wednesday July 16, 2025

Bosaso (HOL) — Several Puntland soldiers were killed on
Tuesday in heavy fighting with ISIS militants in the Calmiskaad Mountains of
the Bari region, according to security sources.
The clashes occurred in the area between Togga Miiraale and
Xabley, where Puntland forces launched an offensive targeting ISIS hideouts.
Security officials reported that several ISIS fighters were killed during the
assault, and the group was forced to retreat from two of its positions.
In a separate incident, some Puntland soldiers reportedly
died after consuming suspected poisoned water. The claim has not been
independently verified by HOL.
The renewed fighting comes as ISIS militants, believed to be
entrenched in the Calmiskaad Mountains, have escalated attacks against rural
residents in recent weeks.
Local sources say the group has been kidnapping and robbing
pastoralists, seizing livestock, and punishing those who resist their demands.
In one recent incident in the Unun area of Qandala district, ISIS militants
allegedly abducted a man identified as Ahmed Ibrahim Adan. His fate remains
unknown, and his family and local residents continue to search for him or
confirm his condition.
ISIS has maintained a presence in remote parts of
northeastern Somalia despite repeated operations by Puntland’s security forces
aimed at dismantling the group’s network.