Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has warned remaining Islamic State militants hiding in the region’s mountainous areas to surrender and return to their communities.
Mr Deni and a delegation he was leading arrived on Saturday in Dharjaalle, in Somalia’s Bari region, a location where Islamic State fighters carried out some of the first attacks involving explosions and foreign militants at the beginning of Puntland’s Hillaac military operation in December 2024.
Speaking at a reception in Dharjaalle, President Deni said the area had undergone significant change and that the sacrifices made by Puntland forces could be seen across the region.
He also announced plans to lay the foundation stone for a monument honouring soldiers who died during military operations in the Cal Miskaad mountain range in Bari.
The Puntland leader issued a warning to Somali members of the militant group whom he said were hiding in caves in the mountains.
He urged them to return to their communities before the government takes further action, saying they still had an opportunity to abandon the group.
Mr Deni also pledged that Puntland security forces would expand their operations to all areas of the region from now on.
The Hillaac operation was launched by Puntland authorities against Islamic State militants in the mountainous areas of Bari, where the group has maintained a presence.
