U.S. And Puntland Forces Launch Major Pre-Dawn Raid On ISIS-Somalia Hideouts

A coordinated counter-terrorism operation involving U.S. special operations forces and Puntland Counter-Terrorism Forces (PCTF) has struck major ISIS-Somalia strongholds in the Baalade Valley, officials confirmed Wednesday.

The pre-dawn raid saw more than 100 American operators arrive by MH-60 helicopters, supported by MQ-9 Reaper drones targeting fortified cave positions believed to be occupied by 10–15 ISIS militants in the Bakuuje and Mareero areas of Somalia’s Cal Miskaad mountain range.

According to security sources, the ground assault followed several days of U.S. precision airstrikes that had already neutralised multiple militants ahead of the joint push.

Approximately 200 PCTF personnel joined the operation, advancing into the rugged terrain and engaging ISIS fighters in close-quarters combat for an estimated two to four hours. Reports indicate the militants included foreign fighters from Syria, Turkey, and Ethiopia.

By sunrise, U.S. and Puntland forces had fully withdrawn without any reported American casualties.

Early battlefield assessments suggest the strike resulted in the death of a senior ISIS-Somalia commander and several top aides. Intelligence sources also estimate between five and ten terrorists were killed. Equipment and weapons storage sites were discovered and destroyed, including tools linked to illegal gold mining operations used to generate revenue for the extremist group.

The Puntland administration hailed the operation as a major step forward in its ongoing crackdown under Operation Hilaac, which seeks to dismantle ISIS-Somalia networks across northeastern Somalia.

Officials say government forces now control nearly all of the Cal Miskaad mountains — long considered a strategic hideout for ISIS — and remain determined to completely eliminate the group’s presence by December 2025.

The United States has not yet issued an official statement on the mission, but regional analysts describe the raid as one of the most aggressive joint counterterror operations in Somalia in recent years.