The army of the semi-autonomous Puntland region in Somalia said Friday they had taken control of a “strategic mountain command base” of the Islamic State group (IS).
IS has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab but experts have warned of growing activity.
The Puntland Defence Forces have since late December been carrying out an extensive operation against IS, which is said to have established a presence in the region’s Golis Mountains.
“The security forces made historic victories over the war against the IS terrorist group after taking control of Turmasaale town today,” the Puntland army said in statement.
“The terrorists were controlling this township for a long period, and it was very important for their movements and connecting to the various locations where they are based,” it added.
It was not possible to independently verify the information from the Puntland army.
A frontline commander told a local television station that it was “one of the biggest bases” used by IS.
“The terrorists were keeping their logistics and wounded members in this place. The information we had also indicates that the leader of the IS terrorists also stayed in the location during the last couple of years,” he added.
It was not immediately clear if this referred to Abdul Qadir Mumin, a Puntland native who is considered the leader of Islamic State in Somalia by experts and officials.
The army statement emphasized that the ongoing operations against IS have been carried out “without any support from the Federal Government of Somalia.”
Authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland have frequently been at odds with the federal government in Mogadishu.
