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

MOGADISHU, Somalia —Puntland State’s police chief says regional security forces have destroyed more than 100 Islamic State (ISIS) bases in the Cal-Miskaad mountains, marking what authorities call a decisive year for Operation Hilaac, the state’s ongoing counterterrorism campaign.

General Mumin Abdi Shire, speaking Thursday on the first anniversary of the offensive, said the operation has eliminated key ISIS fighters and slashed the group’s military capability by nearly 85%. He said weapons caches, supply depots and facilities used to manufacture explosives and plot attacks were dismantled in a series of raids across the rugged mountain range and wider Bari region.

Shire said forces also destroyed what he described as the most sophisticated technological and chemical center used by ISIS in Puntland State, a site he said had hosted foreign specialists focused on complex attack operations. He did not identify the experts or provide further details on the center’s location.

The commander credited “friendly countries” for providing technological and intelligence support that he said was crucial to the operation’s success. He did not name the partners or specify the nature of the assistance. Independent verification of the claims was not immediately available.

Operation Hilaac, launched in late 2024, is Puntland State’s largest sustained effort in years to rout ISIS and al-Shabab networks embedded in the Cal-Miskaad mountains, a remote and difficult terrain that has long sheltered militant cells and smuggling routes along Somalia’s northern coast. The operation has combined ground offensives with targeted sweeps of caves and hideouts where militants have stored arms, food and communications equipment, Shire said.

Puntland State officials say the campaign has sharply reduced the group’s ability to intimidate communities and stage attacks. Authorities did not release casualty figures or the number of militants detained. There was no immediate comment from ISIS-affiliated media channels on the Puntland State claims.

The Cal-Miskaad range, stretching across parts of the Bari region, has been a focal point of militant entrenchment since ISIS announced a small Somalia branch nearly a decade ago. Sporadic clashes and security raids have continued in the area as local forces sought to prevent the group from consolidating financing and logistics networks that support attacks on civilian and security targets.

Shire framed the past year’s gains as part of a longer-term strategy to degrade the group’s command structure and logistics while working with allies to disrupt external support lines. He did not say how long Operation Hilaac will continue, but indicated that joint operations and intelligence-sharing would intensify. “The priority is ensuring these networks cannot reconstitute,” he said in remarks released by Puntland State authorities.

While Somalia’s federal government has waged separate campaigns against al-Shabab in central and southern regions, Puntland State’s effort has focused on the distinct ISIS presence in the northeast and on contested areas where both groups operate. Security analysts say sustained pressure, combined with local community cooperation and credible governance, will be critical to preventing militant regrouping once initial offensives end.

Puntland State authorities urged residents to continue reporting suspicious activity and warned that forces would maintain operations across the Bari region and surrounding districts. No timeline was given for a drawdown.

• More than 100 ISIS bases destroyed in Cal-Miskaad mountains, Puntland State says
• Police chief: Militants’ military capability “reduced by nearly 85%”
• Key weapons stores, bomb-making sites and a “technological and chemical center” dismantled
• Puntland State credits unnamed partners with intelligence and tech support; claims not independently verified
• Operation Hilaac launched in late 2024 to target ISIS and al-Shabab in the Bari region

Authorities said operations would continue as security forces pursue remaining cells in the mountains and along coastal corridors.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.