Somalia Security Forces Repulse Suicide Attack by ISIS

A Somali military officer runs to secure the scene of a suicide car bombing near Somalia’s presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia (File Photo: Reuters)
A Somali military officer runs to secure the scene of a suicide car bombing near Somalia’s presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia (File Photo: Reuters)
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Somalia Security Forces Repulse Suicide Attack by ISIS

A Somali military officer runs to secure the scene of a suicide car bombing near Somalia’s presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia (File Photo: Reuters)
A Somali military officer runs to secure the scene of a suicide car bombing near Somalia’s presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia (File Photo: Reuters)

Security forces in Somalia repulsed an attack by ISIS suicide bombers on a military base in the northeastern region of Puntland on Tuesday, the local state broadcaster and a military official said.

It was the first time ISIS has attempted such a large and sophisticated attack in the country, coming weeks after the semi-autonomous state announced a major offensive against ISIS and a rival extremist group, the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab.

The deputy speaker of Puntland's parliament was visiting the base at the time of the attack, Captain Yusuf Mohamed, an officer in Puntland's counter-terrorism forces, told Reuters.

He said nine suicide bombers had been killed and several soldiers had been injured.

Puntland State TV said on Facebook eight suicide bombers were among those killed in the raid near the town of Dharjaale in the Bari region.

Somalia's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The group was officially recognized as the Somali province of ISIS in 2017 and has been based in the mountainous areas of Puntland. For many years, it was considered a minor security threat in the Horn of Africa country compared with al Shabaab, which controls swathes of southern Somalia.

In recent years, however, the Somali franchise has refashioned itself as an important part of the militant group's worldwide network, with its head, Abdulqadir Mumin, being named its global leader by some media outlets.

Security analysts say ISIS in Somalia has grown in strength because of an influx of foreign fighters and improved revenue through the extortion of local businesses, becoming the group's "nerve centre" in Africa.

"This looks like a preemptive strike to send a message before Puntland's upcoming offensive," said Jay Bahadur, co-director of Scopus, a regionally focused investigative consultancy.

"If this included a vehicle bomb, it appears that they are directly trying to copy al Shabaab's tactics of complex attacks."



IAEA Pulls Inspectors from Iran as Standoff over Access Drags on

FILE PHOTO: nternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi waits for an emergency meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the US attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: nternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi waits for an emergency meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the US attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo
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IAEA Pulls Inspectors from Iran as Standoff over Access Drags on

FILE PHOTO: nternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi waits for an emergency meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the US attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: nternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi waits for an emergency meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors to discuss the situation in Iran following the US attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country's nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens.

Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.

Iran's parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency's inspectors will be able to return to Iran.

"An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the IAEA said on X.

According to Reuters, diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors' safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media.

Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action.

IAEA WANTS TALKS

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"(Grossi) reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible," the IAEA said.

The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran's three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran's nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.

That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb.

As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries' declarations. But the bombing of Iran's facilities has now muddied the waters.

"We cannot afford that .... the inspection regime is interrupted," Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week.