– Puntland security forces say terrorists were killed during operation that lasted 24 hours

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Security forces in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland announced Monday that a recent airstrike in the Bari region killed more than 13 foreign Daesh/ISIS fighters.

The airstrikes targeted terrorist hideouts as part of an ongoing counterterrorism operation over the past 24 hours, according to regional security officials.

“The airstrike operation in the last 24 hours has killed more than 13 foreign ISIS terrorists in the Dhasaq area, which is part of the Calmiskaad mountain range,” Puntland’s counterterrorism unit said in a statement Monday.

Security forces have also conducted extensive operations in the Hararyo and Toga-Jeceel areas, expanding their mission to other Daesh/ISIS strongholds.

“During the operation, they uncovered bases that had been previously used by ISIS terrorist groups,” the unit said in a separate statement on X.

The regional security forces did not specify which country carried out the airstrike. However, the strike comes more than a week after US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed conducting airstrikes against ISIS in Somalia in coordination with the Somali government. AFRICOM said multiple ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed in those strikes.

Security forces have been conducting operations against the terror group for over a month, liberating large areas from the group’s control.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from the terrorist groups al-Shabaab and ISIS.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

The terror group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” on the group.