Security forces in Puntland State have arrested a foreign fighter of Saudi Arabian origin linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) during a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the rugged Cal Miskaad mountains of Bari region.
According to security officials, the suspect was captured in an operation conducted between the areas of Carabi and Marraagade, where ISIS remnants have been hiding.
The ongoing offensive in the Baallade Valley is said to be in its final stages, with several other militants previously apprehended alive.
Authorities say the latest arrest marks significant progress in Puntland’s intensified campaign to dismantle extremist networks entrenched in the mountainous terrain of Bari.
The Puntland administration has in recent months stepped up operations targeting al-Shabaab and ISIS militants in the region.
President Said Abdullahi Deni recently announced that security forces had successfully dismantled the military and financial infrastructure of ISIS, which had for years used the Cal Miskaad range as its main base.