Puntland has launched a military operation against the Daesh group that is expanding in the mountainous areas of the Bari region.
A large number of troops with military vehicles have left Garowe city and reached Bosaso city, where they are expected to cross the mountains to attack the ISIS headquarters in Bari region.
The President of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, is currently in Bosaso, where he is based at the Puntland Naval Force (PMPF) base. Sources say that the security situation in Bosaso has caused President Deni to stay away from the Bosaso presidency.
It was also said that the Africom command promised Puntland support for airstrikes targeting Daesh centers in the Bari region.
However, the number of ISIS fighters has increased. A report issued by the United Nations has warned of the influx of foreign fighters joining ISIS in Somalia.
The number of ISIS fighters in Puntland is estimated at 600 to 700, and it is said that they receive great support from foreign fighters from Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Morocco, and Tanzania.
The UN report noted that foreign fighters have increased the group’s power, using Puntland’s land and sea routes to enter Somalia. Intelligence sources have warned that the progress made by the IS group in the Cal-Miskaad mountains is a dangerous change in the security field.
