Garowe, Puntland – Puntland’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mohamed Abdirahman Farole, stated that foreign combatants from Syria, Turkiye, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya have recently entered Puntland, but their efforts to enlist local Somalis have yielded minimal results.
The minister, who was instrumental in establishing the Puntland Marine Police Force (PMPF), revealed that the extremist organization ISIS has utilized various illegal ventures to finance its terrorist activities in the coastal Bari region.
According to Mohamed’s interview with The Washington Times, “ISIS employed protection schemes, unlawful gold extraction, and charcoal trafficking to accumulate no less than $10 million monthly.”
He noted these finances were directed toward supporting insurgent operations in Mozambique and neighboring nations. The minister’s comments followed a video statement he released on December 6, addressing recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that described Somalis as “garbage,” comments that caused significant dismay throughout Somalia.
He highlighted that Puntland has achieved considerable progress against ISIS since initiating the Hilaac operation in the Al-Miskaad mountains during December 2024.
Puntland military units have eliminated hundreds of combatants, including foreign militants, and have detained numerous ISIS leaders.
“Our troops have delivered a substantial setback to ISIS through major combat initiatives, diminishing their organizational capabilities and impeding their recruitment processes,” he stated.
Although local recruitment remains limited, the minister cautioned that the continued presence of foreign combatants represents an escalating security hazard to Puntland and the broader Horn of Africa area.
“We are collaborating with Somali national forces and global allies to dismantle these networks and halt additional recruitment activities,” he noted.
Puntland officials have intensified maritime surveillance and monitoring of illicit trade channels, especially those used for charcoal shipments, which have historically armed various militant factions. Farole stressed that targeting the financial resources of extremist organizations is equally important as confronting their members.
Global allies, particularly the United States and the UAE, maintain their support for Puntland security forces through aerial operations, intelligence cooperation, training programs, and supply aid to counter ISIS and Al-Shabaab threats across Somalia and the East African region.
