Bosaso, Puntland — Security forces in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region have detained a Yemeni national suspected of holding a leadership role within the Islamic State (IS) group operating in the Al-Miskaad mountains, officials have said.
The suspect was arrested on Tuesday in the Afcad area of Ufeyn district in the Bari region, according to local security authorities. Officials said he was accompanied by two other men at the time of the operation, but both escaped.
The detained man was identified as Mukhtaar Ali Nasir, whom authorities described as a senior figure linked to Islamic State militants believed to be hiding in the mountainous Al-Miskaad area.
Speaking to local media, the spokesperson for Puntland’s ongoing military operations in the Al-Miskaad mountains, Brigadier General Mohamud Mohamed Ahmed, said security forces had recently carried out raids in the Shakaala area. He stated that the location was suspected of being used as a base by members of the militant group.
Puntland authorities have intensified security operations against Islamic State fighters in recent months, particularly in the Bari region, where militants have maintained a presence in remote mountainous terrain.
Earlier this year, Puntland officials presented a number of foreign nationals captured during military operations in the Al-Miskaad area. Authorities alleged that the detainees were affiliated with Islamic State, although several of those arrested have yet to be brought before a court.
The Puntland government has said it will continue operations aimed at locating and apprehending remaining militant members believed to be operating in the region.
Islamic State’s Somalia branch, based largely in Puntland’s mountainous areas, remains smaller than the al-Shabab insurgency but has drawn increasing attention from regional and international security agencies in recent years.
