The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that it had killed at least 7 Abnaa Ul Calipha terrorists in airstrikes in Turmasale and Amayra, near the village of Timirshe located about 140 kilometers southeast of Bossaso. AFRICOM conducted attack as part of aerial support for the Puntland forces that had mounted ground operations against the militants in their mountainous hideouts.
While this the forty-second airstrike against terrorist elements in Somalia, it is the first against ISS which has been lying low for most parts of the year. The airstrike was in support of a 48-hour operation launched by the Puntland forces against the ISS in the eastern parts of Bossaso which has a large and active presence of ‘caliphate soldiers’.
Puntland forces said that a major militant base was captured and senior local militants and one senior foreign fighter were among those killed in the operation. The foreign fighters whose name is yet to be released was a liaison officer between the Somalia Wilayat and other provinces across the globe making it a huge blow to the group that has been gaining traction as a formidable member of the larger ISIS network. Additionally, ammunition, weapons, and food were seized following the successful operation.
In their propaganda releases, ISS claimed that it had killed and injured seven US and Somali special forces of a joint patrol in the Bossaso area. This is a rare event for the rather dormant terror organization and can be viewed as a resurgence of the group to catch up to its compatriots of ISCAP in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. Intelligence continues to indicate that the group in Somalia has been amercing territory and fighters and training as it prepares to resurge while at the same overseeing and offering guidance to ISCAP.
Therefore, the counterinsurgency campaign by the Puntland forces comes at an opportune moment when the group is struggling to regroup as well as wade off al-Qaeda linked al Shabaab that recently sent dozens of fighters in the Bossaso region. While the group maintains a low profile, it cannot be ignored seeing as the group remains elusive making it very dangerous and especially in the natural habitat in the mountainous of Puntland state.
