U.S. launches fresh strike against ISIS-Somalia in Cal-Miskaad mountains
MOGADISHU — The U.S. military carried out a precision airstrike late last week in the Cal-Miskaad mountain range near Bosaso, targeting fighters from the Islamic State in Somalia (ISIS-Somalia), U.S. Africa Command said Monday. The operation is the latest in a sustained campaign of air attacks that U.S. officials say are aimed at degrading the group’s ability to threaten American interests, Somali forces and regional allies.
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The strike, conducted in rugged cave terrain used by militants for shelter and training, came as Puntland State security forces continued ground operations against insurgents in northeastern Somalia. U.S. commanders said the mission focused on senior operatives believed to be directing attacks and coordinating weapons supplies. No independent casualty count has been released.
What officials say
In a brief statement, U.S. Africa Command described the strike as “precise” and part of a broader effort to support Somali partners. “We will continue to take necessary action to disrupt extremist plots and deny safe haven to those who threaten regional stability,” a command spokesperson said.
Puntland State authorities have been cooperating closely with U.S. forces, providing intelligence and carrying out joint special operations in recent months. “We are committed to reclaiming our territory from violent extremists,” a Puntland State security official told local media, speaking on condition of anonymity because of operational sensitivities.
Local disputes and broader consequences
The latest strike follows a controversial operation in mid-September, in which U.S. forces said they targeted an individual suspected of ferrying arms to al-Shabaab in the Sanaag region. Local elders vehemently disputed that account, saying the man killed was a respected clan elder with no ties to militant groups. U.S. Africa Command has not publicly reconciled the conflicting descriptions.
That dispute underscores a persistent challenge for remote counterterrorism operations: confirming targets in complex clan environments and ensuring that strikes do not inflame local grievances. For many Somalis, the memory of past civilian casualties fuels distrust of foreign air campaigns and can play into militant recruitment narratives.
Context: a long-running, remote fight
Since late last year, U.S. forces have significantly stepped up air operations in Somalia. According to U.S. Africa Command, nearly 79 strikes have been conducted in the country against both al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia militants. The rise in strikes follows broader U.S. policy trends that favor a lighter troop footprint and greater reliance on intelligence-driven, stand-off strike capabilities.
General Abdi Hassan Hussein, a former Puntland State police chief, has estimated that roughly 200 ISIS fighters remain holed up in the Cal-Miskaad range. “Among them are a small number of foreign instructors who have been training and advising local cells,” he told a regional broadcaster, emphasizing the challenge of rooting out hardened fighters sheltered by the mountains.
The terrain plays a decisive role. Cal-Miskaad’s jagged ridges and cave networks make it difficult for conventional forces to operate without precise intelligence and close coordination with local troops. That is one reason U.S. commanders favor airpower and targeted strikes, they say.
Violence intensifies amid shifting battle lines
The operation also comes amid a broader uptick in violence in Puntland State. Days before the airstrike, Gen. Abdi Ali Qalyare, commander of Puntland State’s second Darwish battalion, was killed by a roadside bomb. The attack highlighted the dangers facing Somali security forces and the insurgents’ capacity to strike high-profile targets.
“We have seen militants adapt — resorting to IEDs, hit-and-run tactics and using civilians as shields,” said an adviser to Puntland State security forces. “That is why we need both local intelligence and international support.”
Wider implications
The renewed U.S. air campaign in Somalia echoes a broader pattern of American counterterrorism strategy in recent years: minimal permanent bases, heavier use of drones and precision munitions, and increased reliance on partner forces. Across the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea littoral, Washington has preferred enabling local armies and conducting remote strikes rather than large-scale ground deployments.
But that approach carries risks. Remote strikes can achieve tactical successes — eliminating key leaders and disrupting supply lines — while still leaving questions about long-term stabilization. If local communities perceive that strikes harm innocents or fail to address governance and economic grievances, extremist groups can exploit those grievances for recruitment.
Somalia’s complex clan dynamics add another layer of hazard. When family or clan leaders are killed or their kin displaced, the result can be cycles of recrimination that undercut counterterrorism gains. The dispute over the mid-September killing of a man in Sanaag — labeled a militant by U.S. forces and a clan elder by locals — is a vivid example of how fragile local legitimacy can be.
Questions for the future
- Can airstrikes, however precise, be paired with renewed diplomatic and development efforts to shore up local governance and prevent militant resurgence?
- How will U.S. policymakers balance the operational benefits of remote strikes with the need to minimize civilian harm and transparency?
- Will increased cooperation with regional forces such as Puntland State’s security apparatus translate into durable security gains, or only transient tactical victories?
As U.S. aircraft continue to strike from above, Somalis remain on the ground, navigating the immediate dangers of conflict while also confronting long-term questions about who will govern, protect and rebuild their communities. The answer will shape not only Somalia’s future but also the wider region’s stability.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
