Garowe (KAAB TV) – U.S. Special Forces, in coordination with Puntland counter-terrorism units, have launched a major joint operation targeting an ISIS stronghold in Somalia’s Balade Valley.
Security sources reported Wednesday that dozens of American troops were inserted into the area aboard MH-60 helicopters, while MQ-9 Reaper drones executed precision strikes on a compound believed to house 10–15 ISIS militants in the Habarbakuuje and Mareero areas of the valley.
The assault sparked a fierce gun battle lasting between two and four hours at a heavily fortified hideout thought to shelter foreign fighters from Syria, Turkey, and Ethiopia.
Initial assessments indicate that a senior ISIS commander and several aides were killed, with an estimated 5–10 confirmed militant fatalities. Joint forces also destroyed a weapons cache and equipment used in ISIS-run gold-mining operations — a key financial lifeline for the group in Puntland.
The Puntland administration has reiterated its goal of eliminating ISIS from the region by the end of 2025.
The United States continues to support Puntland with intelligence and targeted airstrikes in the region’s mountainous terrain, pressure that has forced ISIS militants to abandon several positions and retreat into more isolated hideouts.