At least 20 Puntland soldiers were killed and more than 30 others wounded in heavy fighting with Islamic State-linked militants in northern Somalia, security officials said Friday.
The battle erupted Thursday in the Baallade valley’s Maraagade well area, a key ISIS stronghold in the Calmiskaad mountains.
Puntland forces launched an assault on what they described as a major weapons and supply base in Bari region, officials told Goobsan Media.
The clashes, which lasted for hours, were among the deadliest in recent months. Fighting subsided by evening, but Puntland forces continue to surround the Maraagade well, where women and children related to ISIS fighters are reportedly trapped.
Military officials said the seized areas include some of the last ISIS hideouts in the region and expressed hope the group will be fully dismantled by Saturday.
