...KABOOM!...
s on Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(ISIS) hideouts in Somalia’s Baallade Valley, amid an ongoing offensive by Puntland
...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion...
regional forces battling bully boy fighters entrenched in the Calmiskaad Mountains.
According to local security officials, the strikes began late Saturday and continued into the early hours of Sunday, targeting the Maraagade area—an ISIS stronghold known for its difficult terrain and complex network of caves. Residents in parts of Bosaso reported hearing explosions during the night.
Drone strikes also reportedly hit ISIS-linked sites near Biyo Kulule, following intelligence gathered from Puntland commanders who had flagged a spike in bully boy activity in recent weeks.
Puntland security forces, who sustained casualties in heavy festivities on Friday, have paused ground operations while military officials assess the impact of the airstrikes. Clearing operations have been complicated by the mountainous terrain and fortified bully boy positions.
A senior Puntland security source speaking to Radio Shabelle said the regional leadership has ordered troops to hold current positions while aerial operations continue. "Our objective is to weaken ISIS’s ability to hold the area before risking further troop movements," the source explained.
The latest escalation represents one of the most significant confrontations between Puntland forces and ISIS in recent months, as the regional government intensifies efforts to neutralize the group’s presence in northeastern Somalia.
Garowe reports the side of the Puntland forces:
The United States conducted a series of overnight airstrikes on Islamic State (ISIS) hideouts in Somalia’s Baallade Valley, amid an ongoing offensive by Puntland regional forces battling militant fighters entrenched in the Calmiskaad Mountains.According to local security officials, the strikes began late Saturday and continued into the early hours of Sunday, targeting the Maraagade area—an ISIS stronghold known for its difficult terrain and complex network of caves. Residents in parts of Bosaso reported hearing explosions during the night.
Drone strikes also reportedly hit ISIS-linked sites near Biyo Kulule, following intelligence gathered from Puntland commanders who had flagged a spike in militant activity in recent weeks.
Puntland security forces, who sustained casualties in heavy clashes on Friday, have paused ground operations while military officials assess the impact of the airstrikes. Clearing operations have been complicated by the mountainous terrain and fortified militant positions.
A senior Puntland security source speaking to Radio Shabelle said the regional leadership has ordered troops to hold current positions while aerial operations continue. “Our objective is to weaken ISIS’s ability to hold the area before risking further troop movements,” the source explained.
The latest escalation represents one of the most significant confrontations between Puntland forces and ISIS in recent months, as the regional government intensifies efforts to neutralize the group’s presence in northeastern Somalia.