Puntland forces killed an Islamic State-Somalia fighter and arrested another after the troops engaged the terrorists in a gunfight in Bosaso district in the Bari region. The arrested terrorist is believed to be a leader to a cell that is responsible for assassinations and bombings in the larger Bari region.
Following the altercation between the government troops and the Abnaa Ul Calipha militants led to the seizure of an explosives-laden vehicle that was meant to conduct an attack on the public as the group seeks to conduct attacks during the Holy Month.
While ISS has been operating under the radar for the past few months, in the past weeks an increased presence, sightings, and low-scale by the group have become evident. The same coincides with a recent decree by ISIS-Central that give the Somalia province mandate over the Central Africa province. Therefore, Ramadhan makes it a perfect opportunity for the group to relaunch itself, take advantage of the pandemic, and conduct large scale attacks as well as targeted assassinations in the north as well as further south in areas dominated by its rival, al Shabaab.
