Puntland Forces Capture Turkish ISIS Fighter in Ongoing Operation Hilac

Puntland Forces Capture Turkish ISIS Fighter in Ongoing Operation Hilac

Puntland’s Dervish forces have captured a Turkish national identified as Feyzul Hashim Suleyman, a member of ISIS, during a military operation in the Togga Balade area of the Bari region. The arrest took place during the fourth phase of Operation Hilac, a campaign aimed at eliminating ISIS militants entrenched in the rugged Cal-Miskaad mountains of northeastern Somalia.

According to Puntland security officials, Feyzul Suleyman is the second Turkish national captured by Puntland forces in two months. In June, security units detained Hassan Ataar, another Turkish citizen with links to ISIS operations in the same region. Authorities added that two more Turkish nationals — Emre Kemal Yilmaz and Aylin Derya Kaya — remain at large, believed to be hiding in the Cal-Miskaad area.

Gen. Ahmed Abdilaahi Sheikh, a senior Puntland military officer, confirmed that the captured militants are Turkish fugitives who fled their country after the failed 2016 coup attempt, with some reportedly being former members of the Turkish military.

“Intelligence reports indicate that these individuals first joined ISIS in Syria before being relocated to Puntland’s Cal-Miskaad mountains,” said Gen. Ahmed.

He further noted that ongoing investigations aim to uncover the detainees’ potential ties to international smuggling and terrorist networks, including possible links to the PKK.

Security analysts view this arrest as further proof of the transnational nature of terrorism, warning that the presence of foreign fighters in Somalia poses a regional and global security concern. Experts have called for enhanced intelligence sharing and international cooperation to dismantle these extremist networks.

In addition to Feyzul Suleyman’s capture, Puntland forces also apprehended a Somali fighter during clashes with ISIS militants in Togga Balade on Monday — a sign that Operation Hilac continues to make steady progress in neutralizing extremist cells across the Bari region.