Puntland State Police Chief: 100+ ISIS Bases Destroyed in Somalia’s Cal Miskaad Mountains

MOGADISHU, Somalia —Puntland Statesecurity forces have destroyed more than 100 Islamic State bases in the Cal-Miskaad mountains over the past year, sharply degrading the extremist group’s capabilities in northern Somalia, the region’s police chief said Thursday.

Gen. Mumin Abdi Shire said the campaign, conducted under Operation Hilaac, has eliminated key ISIS fighters and reduced the group’s military capacity by nearly 85 percent. He said troops dismantled weapons caches, supply depots and facilities used to manufacture explosives and plan attacks across the Cal-Miskaad range and the wider Bari region.

Shire said forces also demolished what he described as ISIS’s primary technological and chemical hub in Puntland State — a site he said had hosted foreign specialists with expertise in technical attack operations. He did not provide further details about the location or the personnel he said were involved.

The police chief credited “friendly countries” with providing technological and intelligence support that he said proved critical to the successes of the operation. He did not name the countries or specify the nature of the assistance.

“The sustained pressure has weakened ISIS’s ability to intimidate civilians,” Shire said, adding that security forces continue to target any remaining logistics and command nodes across the mountainous corridor.

Operation Hilaac began in late 2024 as Puntland State’s flagship counterterrorism effort against ISIS and al-Shabaab militants entrenched in the rugged Cal-Miskaad mountains, a natural stronghold running through Bari. Thursday’s announcement marked roughly one year since the launch of that offensive, which Puntland State authorities say is designed to disrupt insurgent mobility, degrade supply lines and remove sanctuaries used to stage attacks.

No casualty figures were released, and the claims could not be independently verified. The terrain in Cal-Miskaad and the remoteness of many suspected militant sites have historically limited outside access and real-time assessment.

ISIS’s footprint in northern Somalia has been smaller than al-Shabaab’s, but the group has maintained cells in Puntland State’s interior and coastal areas, where it has claimed sporadic attacks and sought revenue through extortion and smuggling. Puntland State officials say the latest operations are intended to deny the group the infrastructure and safe haven it needs to regenerate.

Regional authorities did not indicate how many targets remain, and there was no immediate response from ISIS-affiliated channels to the claims. Puntland State officials said security forces would continue clearing operations and pursue remaining fighters across the Bari region and adjacent districts.

Shire framed the past year as a turning point for Puntland State’s counterterrorism posture, pointing to coordinated raids, intelligence-led strikes and the seizure or destruction of explosives, communications equipment and transport. He said the campaign would continue with a focus on interdicting any cross-border resupply and preventing militant re-infiltration into previously cleared areas.

Operation Hilaac remains the centerpiece of Puntland State’s strategy to dismantle militant infrastructure in the north. Authorities say their goal is to consolidate recent gains, restore civilian access to previously contested areas and strengthen local security forces to hold ground as clearing operations advance.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.