Saturday August 23, 2025
Bosaso (HOL) — 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 Hiiraan
Online.
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.