GAROWE (Kaab TV) – Puntland security forces, supported by international partners, have launched a large-scale offensive on the Barakalah Well area, a strategically significant location along the Baallade valley and a long-known hideout for Daesh militants operating in the Al-Miskaad Mountains.
According to initial reports, the strike—believed to have involved U.S. military support—was one of the most forceful operations carried out in the Al-Miskaad range since the campaign against Daesh began several years ago.
The escalation followed newly granted authorization allowing Puntland forces to conduct direct ground assaults on militant positions.
Local sources indicate that heavy fighting continues around the Barakalah Well area. However, no official statements have yet been released regarding casualties on either side.
The rugged terrain and the remoteness of the site have made it difficult to verify the extent of the damage or the progress of the operation.
In recent statements, the Daesh affiliate in Somalia claimed it had repelled six separate attempts by Puntland forces to enter Barakalah Well, allegedly inflicting casualties including both deaths and injuries. Independent verification of these claims remains unavailable.
The group also asserted responsibility for an attack earlier in the week on a Puntland military outpost, in which four soldiers were reportedly killed. Daesh fighters allegedly suffered losses as well during the confrontation.
These developments come at a time when the Puntland administration plans to announce, within the next two weeks, that the long-running counterterrorism campaign in the Al-Miskaad Mountains is nearing completion.
However, political figures and intellectuals from the Bari region have urged the government to exercise caution. They warn that despite recent battlefield gains, Daesh’s presence in the mountainous terrain may not yet be fully neutralized.
According to these voices, premature declarations of victory could undermine ongoing security efforts and misrepresent the complexity of the situation on the ground.
The Al-Miskaad Mountains have for years served as one of the primary strongholds for Somalia’s Daesh faction, which split from al-Shabaab and entrenched itself in Puntland’s difficult, forested terrain.
Puntland forces, often with external support, have carried out periodic offensives aimed at disrupting the group’s operations, supply routes, and leadership networks.