Somali security forces said they killed several Islamic State fighters and seized eight jihadist outposts during ongoing military operations in the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
Islamic State has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, but experts have warned of growing activity.
A United Nations counter-terrorism official last year warned of increased attacks by Islamic State affiliates in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia.
Somali military officials said Monday’s operation in the northern province was centered around the Cal Miskat mountains in the Bari region.
“The security forces took control of eight IS military outposts including a major one in the Cal Miskat mountains; several gunmen including foreign fighters had been killed in the military operations,” the Puntland army said in a statement.
“The army shot down around nine drones loaded with explosives which IS tried to attack and detonate on the security forces during the fighting,” it said.
“The security forces are advancing onto key hideouts of the terrorists to flush them out”.
According to Ahmed Rage, one of the military commanders in the area, heavy fighting was underway as the IS “militias took positions inside a cave in the mountain,” but he added that the army was making “progress and continues to advance onto the stronghold positions.”
According to experts and officials, Islamic State in Somalia is run by Abdul Qadir Mumin, a Puntland native.
“He is the most important person, the most powerful one, he is the one controlling the global Islamic State network,” said Tore Hamming from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR).
