Wednesday June 3, 2026
Bosaso (HOL) — Puntland security forces have captured a foreign ISIS fighter in the Calmiskaad mountains of Bari region, officials said Wednesday.
Gen. Mahmoud Jama Faadhigo, spokesman for Operation Calmiskaad, said the man was captured in the Af-cas area after allegedly leaving an ISIS base in Shakaala.
The spokesman said the account showed that ISIS fighters in the Calmiskaad mountains are facing growing shortages of food and supplies as Puntland forces tighten pressure on the group.
“The ISIS group was facing a difficult situation in terms of supplies and food, which forced them to rely on the donkeys they found,” Faadhigo said.
He said Puntland forces and allied local fighters are continuing operations against ISIS positions in the mountains, adding that militant hideouts have been surrounded and their movements are being closely monitored.
Faadhigo said the group’s situation has become increasingly difficult after supply routes used by the militants were cut off.
The Calmiskaad mountains have been a key base for ISIS-linked fighters in Puntland. Regional forces have intensified operations in the area in recent months as part of a wider campaign to weaken the group’s presence in northern Somalia.
