The Islamic State (IS) launched a coordinated attack on military bases in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland state overnight, using suicide car and motorbike bombs, according to a Puntland military official.
Puntland had declared a major offensive against IS and the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab in December, claiming to have killed dozens of foreign fighters, captured multiple IS bases, and forced a senior commander to surrender.
The attack targeted recently liberated bases, and heavy fighting was ongoing as of Tuesday morning, said Mohamud Fadhigo, a Puntland military spokesperson.
Somalia’s state news agency reported that security forces successfully repelled the attacks in the Hagaaro and Togo-Jecel areas of the Cal Miskaad mountains. Despite growing in size due to an influx of foreign fighters and increased revenues, IS Somalia remains smaller than al Shabaab, which controls vast areas of southern and central Somalia.
Earlier this month, U.S. airstrikes targeted IS positions in Somalia, underscoring the group’s rising significance within the global IS network.
