UN Security Council says Puntland State offensive has sharply weakened Islamic State in Somalia
AXADLE Somalia — A sustained Puntland State military campaign, backed by U.S. airstrikes, has driven Islamic State from key strongholds in Somalia’s Cal-Miskaad mountains and cut the group’s estimated strength to as few as 150 fighters, according to a new United Nations Security Council report.
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The report estimates that Islamic State in Somalia now has between 150 and 250 members, including its leader, Abdulqadir Mumin, and his deputy, Abdirahman Faahiye.
The assessment marks a steep drop from earlier estimates. In 2025, then-U.S. Africa Command chief General Michael Langley put the group’s strength at between 1,200 and 1,500 fighters.
Puntland State ground operations and U.S. airstrikes on Islamic State positions are identified as the main drivers of the decline.
More than 900 Islamic State fighters have been killed in military operations against the group since early 2025, the report says.
Puntland State forces have maintained an extended campaign across the Cal-Miskaad mountain range in the Bari region, striking Islamic State bases, supply lines and personnel.
Those operations have sharply reduced the territory controlled by the group and limited the space in which it can plan and conduct operations, according to the assessment.
Islamic State in Somalia nevertheless remains a security threat. Its leadership structure is still in place, and fighters continue to operate from isolated mountain areas.
The group has maintained a foothold in Puntland State for the past decade and has recruited foreign militants, according to earlier assessments from Somali and international security officials.
The latest figures underscore the effect of Puntland State’s ground offensive and U.S. air support on Islamic State’s ability to operate across northern Somalia.
But the survival of senior commanders, including Mumin, indicates that the group could reorganise and launch attacks despite the sharp reduction in its ranks.
Puntland State authorities are expected to keep Islamic State operations among their main security priorities as they work to prevent the group from rebuilding and retaking territory.
The assessment comes as Somalia confronts threats from Islamic State and Al-Shabaab, the country’s largest armed Islamist group, while military campaigns continue against militant networks.
The United States has carried out airstrikes against both groups in Somalia, alongside ground operations by Somali and regional forces targeting their positions.
The Security Council’s findings describe a substantially weakened Islamic State presence in Somalia, but make clear that the group has not been defeated and can still pose a security threat.
AXADLETM
