Mountains

In Puntland State’s Cal-Miskaad, a puncture wound to ISIS — and a reminder of unfinished war BOSASO, Somalia — For nearly a year, Puntland State’s counterterrorism forces have methodically pushed into the mazelike caves and dry riverbeds of the Cal‑Miskaad Mountains, chipping away at an ISIS presence that once projected violence across Somalia’s northeastern corridor. This weekend’s operation — which local commanders say captured two key spring sites and netted a foreign fighter — is being framed in Puntland State as proof…

Has Puntland State turned the tide against Islamic State? A closer look at President Deni’s claims What the president said In a recent televised interview, Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni delivered a blunt assessment of a years‑long counter‑insurgency: he said his forces have “severely weakened” Islamic State in the northeastern Somali region of Bari, claiming more than 2,000 fighters — many foreign nationals — who once operated from the Cal Miskaad mountain range have been “largely neutralized.” Deni…

Mogadishu (AX) - In a recent development, the Deputy Minister of Information of Somalia, Abdirahman Yusuf Adala, has thrown shade at Northeastern State, alleging that the region is playing hardball against forming a cohesive national army to work throughout Somalia. Adala highlighted that Northeastern State has stonewalled attempts to recruit soldiers from its turf, turning a blind eye to federal initiatives aimed at stationing troops in its areas. "Northeastern State has given the cold shoulder to army brigades…