US special operations forces were involved in a joint raid with local forces in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region that involved an attack on a cave and ground fighting against ISIS militants, Garowe Online, a media outlet based in Puntland, reported on Tuesday.
The report said that, according to US Africa Command, the attack on the Habar Bajuuke cave in the Balade Valley, an area where the US has launched airstrikes in recent days, was supported by 10 helicopters. So far, AFRICOM has not put out a press release confirming its involvement in the operations.
The Garowe reports said that forces in the helicopters “landed on the ground and executed the mission following a confrontation between US troops” and members of Somalia’s ISIS affiliate. It said the operation lasted several hours and resulted in the capture and killing of several ISIS fighters. The report didn’t say if there were casualties among the US troops or the Puntland security forces.
“In the Calmiskaad area, high-value #ISIS targets were struck in a joint air and ground operation carried out by Puntland’s US partners supporting the ongoing mission. Further details will be shared in due course,” the Puntland Counter-Terrorism Operations said on X.
The US has supported local forces in Puntland since the US-backed Federal Government, which is based in Mogadishu, doesn’t control the region.
The Puntland government has come under criticism recently over reports that the UAE has been shipping weapons through an airbase in Puntland to Sudan to arm the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been accused of committing genocide and recently committed massacres against civilians after it took the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s western Darfur region. According to a report from Middle East Eye, the US has also been using the airbase, which is in the port city of Bosaso, to support its military operations in Somalia.
The US has dramatically ramped up airstrikes in Somalia this year, launching at least 100 so far, including attacks on ISIS in Puntland and al-Shabaab in southern and central Somalia. According to local media reports, a suspected US airstrike on the town of Jamame in southern Somalia’s Jubaland region killed 12 civilians, including eight children. The strike occurred earlier this month as the US was backing government forces in major battles against al-Shabaab.
