Garowe, Somalia – Puntland State of Somalia has released the names and nationalities of senior ISIS figures eliminated in recent operations in the Al-Miskad mountain ranges of Bari region, as part of a sustained campaign to dismantle the terror group’s strongholds in the area.
Among those neutralized was Abdihakim Badiin Mawaled, a militant of Yemeni descent who served as the head of the policing unit known as Hizba and was reportedly fluent in Somali. Authorities say his elimination is a significant blow to ISIS’s internal enforcement apparatus in northern Somalia.
Also killed was Marwan Abdrizk, a Tunisian national who led the group’s foreign fighters division. He was described by security sources as a key recruiter and operational planner who communicated in multiple languages.
Another key figure taken out in the offensive was Barow Abdi Mo’alim, a Somali national from the Gedo region. He held the post of territorial chief administrative officer (Idaarad) for a sub-faction of the group referred to as Shebaab-Dhaasaan.
The religious propaganda and recruitment wing suffered a major loss with the death of Ahmed Salah Sudani, a Sudanese national responsible for Da’wah, or religious outreach. His role was instrumental in spreading extremist ideology within and beyond Puntland.
In addition, Ibrahim Hayyan, a Moroccan explosives expert who reportedly headed the group’s bomb-making unit, was killed. His death is seen as a major disruption to ISIS’s capacity for conducting complex and deadly attacks.
The group also lost its chief medical officer, Dr. Hakeem Ubeyda, a Malaysian national who oversaw battlefield treatment for wounded fighters and managed medical logistics for ISIS operatives in the region.
Rounding out the list is Ahmed Muse Said, a Somali from the Bari region who served as the head of external relations. Fluent in both Arabic and English, he was responsible for coordinating the group’s communications and outreach with other extremist networks.
Security officials in Puntland hailed the operation as a major success in weakening the leadership and operational capacity of ISIS in Somalia. The offensive in the rugged Al-Miskad mountains is ongoing, with Puntland forces pledging to continue the pursuit of remaining militants in the area.