Thursday 16 March 2023 {HMC} In the remote mountains of Puntland, Al-Shabaab and Daesh fought this week. The latest battles have been between the parties fighting for the control and influence of Al-Miskaad mountains since late 2018.
Security experts said that the ISIS forces in Somalia, which are smaller than Al-Shabaab, are still a serious threat to Somalia.
Ahmed Mohamud Yusuf, the governor of Balidhidhin district in the eastern region of Puntland, said that ISIS fighters have been recruiting Ethiopian fighters in recent years.
Daesh, which established a stronghold in the Bari region in 2015 and 2016, is now estimated to have more than 300 fighters, including Ethiopians, according to experts in the region.
The number of Ethiopian Daesh fighters is believed to be high. IS has already released a video showing many Ethiopians in the group.
Last year, Puntland sentenced to death 7 Ethiopians who were found to be members of Daesh.
“ISIS always targets Ethiopia and other African states to recruit, the main limitation is that their presence is limited to a district in the east of Bosaaso,” said Matt Bryden. Horn of Africa region analyst.
