MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – New reports indicate that Abdulqadir Mumin, the recently appointed leader of ISIS, remains in hiding in the Al Miskad Mountains as joint operations by Puntland forces and U.S. Special Forces intensify.
Cooperation between Puntland and the United States reached its highest level on November 25, when more than 200 American Special Forces personnel carried out coordinated ground and air attacks on ISIS bases in the Baalade Valley.
MQ-9 Reaper drones conducted targeted airstrikes on locations believed to be sheltering senior ISIS officials. Preliminary reports suggest that the operation killed a high-ranking ISIS commander along with about 15 fighters of Syrian, Turkish, and Ethiopian origin.
Puntland forces also destroyed a weapons cache and equipment used by the group to manage illegal gold-mining operations—one of ISIS’s key financial sources.
Puntland security officials say that although Mumin’s group has been significantly weakened, the leader himself remains in the Al Miskad Mountains, frequently shifting between hideouts. An estimated 200 ISIS fighters are still in the area, reportedly suffering from severe shortages of food and supplies. Security sources in the Bari region say the group now survives on wild plants, highlighting the drastic decline in its combat capability.
Abdulqadir Mumin has long been associated with extremist platforms, having previously worked in mosques in Britain where he was accused of spreading radical ideologies.
Puntland forces say they will continue operations against the group, insisting that Mumin has no viable escape route. A senior PMPF officer stated that the group is now in its “final stage.”