The Islamic State branch in Somalia Abnaa Ul Calipha attacked an elite group of Al-Shabaab fighters, in Somalia, southeast of Qandala in Puntland.
14 members of the Al-Shabaab elite squad were killed in the attack. This follows a direct warning sent to Shabaab by Islamic State central via the Al Naba newsletter last month.
According to the ISIS affiliate, 14 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed and 48 others wounded outside El-Mirole village west of Qandala, Bari region, northern Somalia.
The Al-Qaeda branch in Somalia Harakat Al-Shabaab Mujahideen had deployed 120 militants into the ISIS territory mid-December 2018. The death of 14 and wounding of 48 others means half of the attacking group was put out of action.
The same group further suffered setbacks after an airstrikes on Tuesday killed 8 of them and wounded 11 others bring the number of killed Al-Shabaab militants to 22 and those injured close to 65.
This is a major victory for Islamic States in Somalia over its arch-rival Harakat Al-Shabaab Mujahideen in Somalia.
ISIS in Somalia used a special team to conduct a preemptive attack on Al-Shabaab. The elite ISIS terrorist commando team received a tip on Al-Shabaab position by its informants two days before.
