ISIS in Somalia Still Finds Lifelines Amid Puntland’s Ongoing Offensive

ISIS in Somalia Still Finds Lifelines Amid Puntland’s Ongoing Offensive

Despite a year-long military campaign to dismantle Islamic State positions in northeastern Somalia, the militant group continues to find ways to survive — and even profit — in the rugged Al Miskaad Mountains.

According to regional security officials, ISIS-Somalia fighters are still purchasing livestock from local herders, especially in the Baalade Valley area. The militants reportedly pay two to three times the normal market price, exploiting the desperation of drought-affected pastoral families burdened by debt. These inflated payments have created a shadow supply network that continues to feed the group’s fighters hiding in the mountains.

The situation underscores the complex challenge facing Puntland authorities as they work to sever ISIS’s logistical lines through the ongoing “Operation Hilaac,” launched in late 2024. While local forces claim to have captured dozens of militant outposts and caves in the Golis and Al Miskaad ranges, small ISIS cells still maneuver through difficult terrain — and depend on vulnerable communities for supplies and intelligence.

Operation Hilaac: Successes and Shortcomings

In several recently retaken villages, Puntland troops discovered fresh slaughter sites and food storage areas believed to have been used by ISIS fighters. These findings highlight how the group continues to rely on local trade networks and families living in remote mountain settlements.

Puntland’s government has repeatedly warned residents against maintaining any form of contact or commerce with ISIS. Last month, authorities ordered the evacuation of several villages — including Tasjiic in Bari region — amid suspicions that residents were providing indirect support to militants. However, relocation efforts stalled as villagers said they lacked safe alternative areas, exposing the humanitarian dilemma intertwined with the counterinsurgency effort.

Clashes and Airstrikes in the Mountains

Fighting has persisted around the Baalada Valley and Baarakalaah well, with Puntland forces suffering undisclosed casualties. ISIS, through its propaganda channels, claimed to have repelled multiple assaults and inflicted losses on Puntland security units — though these claims remain unverified.

The offensive, supported by the United States, has included a series of precision airstrikes targeting ISIS hideouts. In February, Puntland authorities reported that U.S. strikes killed 46 fighters, including senior commander Abdirahman Shirwac Aw-Said, who later surrendered. Months later, in July, regional forces captured Abdiweli Mohamed Aw Yusuf (Walalac) — ISIS-Somalia’s finance and foreign relations chief — in a joint U.S.-Puntland operation. Walalac had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

A Persistent Threat in the Mountains

Even with these high-profile arrests and battlefield victories, analysts estimate that ISIS retains roughly 100 active fighters spread across the Habley Mountains and Baalade Valley — areas that remain hard to reach and nearly impossible to secure completely. In August, Puntland’s President Said Abdullahi Deni announced that 98% of Al Miskaad had been “liberated,” but acknowledged that isolated pockets of resistance persist.

Experts say that ISIS’s ability to exploit local markets, economic hardship, and inaccessible terrain explains why the group continues to endure despite sustained military pressure. For Puntland, the battle against ISIS is no longer just about territory — it’s about breaking the economic and social ties that allow insurgents to blend into the fabric of rural life.

Until those networks are dismantled, the shadow trade in livestock and supplies may remain ISIS-Somalia’s most resilient lifeline.