In the latter months of 2024, security forces in the autonomous Puntland region of Somalia commenced a large-scale military campaign against Daeshi Khawarij. Consequently, over 350 kilometers of territory have been reclaimed from the militants, with hundreds of ISIS combatants either neutralized or incapacitated during the sustained offensive.
By late February, Puntland security forces announced that the anti-ISIS operations had entered a third phase following the clearing of militant strongholds in the Galgala and Dhasan regions. Authorities emphasized that current efforts are focused on eliminating remaining ISIS enclaves in the Al-Miskad Mountains, Muqar, and the Mirali Valley.
While official casualty figures have not yet been released, social media reports and sources familiar with the group’s internal communications indicate that, in addition to local militants, numerous foreign fighters—drawn to Somalia by the group’s deceptive propaganda—have also sustained heavy losses.
Somalia hosts one of the most resilient branches of ISIS, which has financed operations in other regions through the systematic extortion of local residents and commercial entities.
ISIS continues to face setbacks in Somalia due to coordinated operations by Puntland, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab movement, despite mounting pressure from Somali, U.S., and Turkish forces, continues to make gains, advancing to within a few kilometers of the capital, Mogadishu.