Puntland Operation Against ISIS: Report From December 2024 – June, 2025.

August 19, 2025

By: Othman Mahamud

Executive Summary:

Operation Hilac is a large-scale military campaign launched by Puntland in December 2024 to defeat ISIS-Somalia and elements of al-Shabab entrenched in the Al-Miskat mountains of Bari region. These mountains host ISIS command centres and fortified cave networks. The offensive is led by the Puntland Defence Force, Puntland Dervish Force, and Puntland Maritime Police Force, with critical support from U.S. and UAE airstrikes, and assistance from Kenya and Ethiopia. Its main objective is to dislodge ISIS from its strongholds. The operation has progressed in four phases, shifting tactics as territorial gains were secured. Between December 31, 2024, and June 30, 2025, heavy combat led to considerable casualties. Puntland lost at least 36 soldiers, with major incidents including 27 killed on February 11, 2025, and smaller losses in January. Dozens more were wounded. Puntland also acknowledged “heavy casualties” in late January. ISIS sustained far greater losses. Confirmed militant deaths included 8–12 on December 31, 2024, 26 on January 13, over 40 on January 16, 15 on January 20, and 13 on January 24.

U.S. airstrikes in February 2025 killed between 14 and 46 operatives in different strikes, with one February 11 engagement alone eliminating over 70 fighters. By mid-February, Puntland and allies claimed nearly 200 ISIS fighters killed, mostly foreign recruits. Notable ISIS leaders eliminated included Ahmed Maeleninine, a senior planner and recruiter, and Abdirahman Fahiye Isse Mohamud, ISIS-Somalia’s deputy commander and training head. The conflict also caused humanitarian impacts, with at least four civilians killed in a January 23 drone strike and thousands of families displaced by mid-January 2025. Operation Hilac demonstrates Puntland’s determination, backed by international partners, to dismantle ISIS-Somalia’s operational capacity in the region…