Puntland State forces capture Yemeni ISIS fighter in Bari mountains
According to the spokesman, the account underscores the worsening shortage of food and supplies faced by ISIS fighters in the Calmiskaad mountains as Puntland State forces intensify their campaign against the group.
Wednesday June 3, 2026
Bosaso (AX) — Puntland State security forces have detained a foreign ISIS fighter in the Calmiskaad mountains of the Bari region, officials said Wednesday, in a development they say reflects mounting pressure on the militant group.
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Gen. Mahmoud Jama Faadhigo, spokesman for Operation Calmiskaad, said the man was arrested in the Af-cas area after reportedly breaking away from an ISIS base in Shakaala.
Faadhigo said the fighter, identified as a Yemeni national, told security personnel that he had spent three days on foot after being dispatched with two other ISIS members to look for donkeys that could be used to transport food back to the group’s base.
According to the spokesman, the account underscores the worsening shortage of food and supplies faced by ISIS fighters in the Calmiskaad mountains as Puntland State forces intensify their campaign against 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 added that Puntland State forces, working with allied local fighters, are pressing ahead with operations targeting ISIS positions in the mountains. Militants’ hideouts, he said, have been encircled and their movements are under close watch.
Faadhigo said the group’s logistical situation has deteriorated further after supply routes used by the militants were cut off.
The Calmiskaad mountains have long served as a major stronghold for ISIS-linked fighters in Puntland State. Regional forces have stepped up operations there in recent months as part of a broader drive to weaken the group’s foothold in northern Somalia.
