Puntland State sends reinforcements to Al-Miskaad Mountains as anti-ISIS campaign nears endgame

Puntland State deploys fresh troops to Al-Miskaad mountains as anti-ISIS offensive enters final phase

BOSASO, Somalia —Puntland State has begun deploying fresh troops across the Al-Miskaad mountain range in the Bari region as its year-long “Hillaac” campaign against Islamic State–linked militants enters a declared final phase, regional officials said Monday.

Hundreds of newly assigned soldiers have been sent to the Baallade valley and surrounding highlands to relieve units that have operated in the rugged terrain for months. Additional contingents trained in the town of Badhan are expected to join the operation in the coming days, according to the officials.

The Hillaac operation was launched in December 2024 with the stated aim of dismantling the Islamic State affiliate’s foothold in northeastern Somalia. Authorities initially set a completion timeline of December 2025. Commanders now say the campaign has shifted to a pursuit phase focused on tracking dispersed militants who no longer hold fixed positions or maintain operational strongholds in the Al-Miskaad range.

Senior Puntland State defense officers said the offensive “will not stop” until the remaining Islamic State fighters in the region are killed or captured, underscoring the administration’s intent to prevent the group from regrouping or re-establishing supply lines.

The Al-Miskaad mountains, a craggy chain running through Bari, have long provided natural cover for insurgents who know the valleys and passes intimately. Puntland State security forces have spent the past year pushing into remote ravines, clearing hideouts and trying to sever routes used for movement and resupply, officials said.

Local authorities describe the current push as a rotation of forces designed to sustain momentum. The newly deployed units are taking over from battle-worn formations to maintain pressure across multiple axes, particularly in and around Baallade, where security officials say fleeing fighters have attempted to pass through to avoid contact.

Islamic State in Somalia is a small, resilient faction compared with the al-Qaida–allied al-Shabab, but it has maintained a presence in the Bari mountains for years and has claimed sporadic attacks and extortion operations, especially around the port city of Bosaso. Its leadership and financing networks have been targeted by Somali authorities and international partners, but the group’s ability to disperse into difficult terrain has complicated efforts to finish it off.

Officials did not provide updated casualty figures or disclose the number of militants believed to remain in the area. They also did not indicate how long the final phase might last, emphasizing instead that the objective is to deny the group the space and cohesion it needs to operate. Security analysts say such endgame stages typically hinge on intelligence-led sweeps, interdictions in narrow passes and rapid rotations that prevent insurgent re-infiltration.

The Puntland State administration has framed Hillaac as part of a broader security agenda to stabilize the northeast, protect trade corridors and reassure communities affected by years of sporadic insurgent activity. Authorities have encouraged residents to report suspicious movement and warned that any remaining militants who attempt to surrender will be vetted under existing security protocols.

While the government has touted territorial gains over the past year, the mountainous landscape and the militants’ shift to smaller, mobile cells suggest the operation’s conclusion will depend on sustained logistics and reliable intelligence. For now, commanders say the focus is on tightening the cordon in Baallade and adjacent valleys, bringing in fresh units from Badhan, and completing what Puntland State officials describe as the closing chapter of a campaign aimed at eliminating the Islamic State’s presence in the Al-Miskaad range.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.