ISIS attacked military bases in Somalia's northeastern Puntland state overnight with suicide car and motorbike bombs, a military official said on Tuesday.
Puntland announced a major offensive against ISIS and a rival group, the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, in December and claims to have since killed dozens of foreign fighters, captured several ISIS bases, and forced a senior commander to surrender.
"Last night after midnight, ISIS fighters attacked us in the recently liberated bases with suicide car and motorbike bombs. Many ISIS infantry attacked us, and the fighting is still ongoing," Mohamud Fadhigo, a Puntland military spokesperson, told Reuters.
The ISIS faction in Somalia has become an increasingly important part of its parent organization’s worldwide network in recent years, and was the target of US airstrikes earlier this month.
Somalia's state news agency reported on Tuesday that security forces had repelled attacks on military positions in the Hagaaro and Togo-Jecel areas of Puntland's Cal Miskaad mountains.
With an estimated 700 to 1,500 fighters, ISIS’ Somalia wing has grown in recent years thanks to an influx of foreign fighters and increasing revenues. But it is still much smaller than al Shabaab, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.
ISIS Attacks Military Bases in Somalia's Puntland with Car and Motorbike Bombs
FILE PHOTO: Puntland Security Forces parade newly trained soldiers and equipment to combat ISIS in Bosasso, Bari Region, Puntland region, Somalia January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
ISIS Attacks Military Bases in Somalia's Puntland with Car and Motorbike Bombs
FILE PHOTO: Puntland Security Forces parade newly trained soldiers and equipment to combat ISIS in Bosasso, Bari Region, Puntland region, Somalia January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
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