The Sept. 21 strike occurred about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Bosaso in Puntland’s Golis mountain range, AFRICOM said in a statement Wednesday. The command said the operation was intended to degrade ISIS-Somalia’s ability to threaten the United States, its allies, and Somali security forces. No casualty figures were released.
AFRICOM has carried out 79 strikes in Somalia so far this year, surpassing the annual record set under former President Donald Trump. U.S. officials say such operations are conducted jointly with Somali armed forces and remain focused on disrupting militant networks.
Former Puntland police chief Gen. Abdi Hassan Hussein, known as Abdi Yare, estimated that between 150 and 200 ISIS fighters remain in the Al Miskaad mountains, with only a small number of foreign militants.
The strike came just days after Gen. Abdi Ali Qalyare, commander of Puntland’s second Darwish battalion, was killed in a roadside bomb attack. Local officials say ISIS has increasingly turned to improvised explosive devices, planting roadside bombs to target Puntland security forces and officials.
