Puntland authorities have confirmed that Abdul Qadir Mumin, the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) faction in Somalia, has fled the battlefield amid a sweeping counterterrorism operation in the country’s northeast. General Mohamud Ahmed Faadhigo, spokesperson for the Puntland-led Hillaac Operation, that intelligence reports indicate Mumin escaped from the Calmiskaad mountains, an area long considered a strategic stronghold for ISIS in the region. Details regarding the timing and method of his escape remain undisclosed.
The announcement comes as Puntland completes the third phase of its months-long Hillaac Operation, a large-scale military offensive aimed at eradicating ISIS presence from Somali soil. Officials say the campaign has significantly weakened the group’s territorial grip.
On Sunday, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni declared that approximately 98 percent of the Calmiskaad region had been cleared of ISIS fighters. He added that the operation would now shift to its fourth phase, targeting areas where fleeing militants are believed to have regrouped.
“This marks a turning point in our efforts to dismantle ISIS in Somalia,” President Deni said. “We are committed to ensuring that no safe haven remains for terrorist elements in Puntland.”
Abdul Qadir Mumin, a former Al-Shabaab cleric who pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015, has led the group’s operations across the Horn of Africa. His reported flight is seen as a significant blow to ISIS’s regional ambitions and a milestone for Puntland’s security forces.
Security analysts note that while ISIS maintains a smaller footprint in Somalia compared to Al-Shabaab, its presence in the Calmiskaad mountains had posed a persistent threat to regional stability.
Puntland officials say the operation will continue until all militant networks have been dismantled and security fully restored across the region.
