On February 1, the United States launched at least six airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland in support of that region’s current military offensive against the group. Puntland officials quickly put out a statement praising the strikes. In the same communique, the officials also thanked a more unusual partner: the United Arab Emirates.
Partly in support of Puntland’s military offensive against the Islamic State’s local wing, President Trump announced on February 1 that he authorized strikes against a “Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia.” Trump did not specify how many strikes took place, but local sources spoke of at least six hitting 10 sites held by the Islamic State Somalia in Puntland’s Cal Miskaat Mountains.
The identity of the “Senior ISIS Attack Planner” Trump referred to remains unclear. However, unconfirmed reports have pointed to either a senior Islamic State leader from the Middle East who had relocated to Somalia or Abdirahman Fahiye Isse Mohamud, the emir of the Islamic State’s Somalia wing, according to security sources who spoke to FDD’s Long War Journal. Puntland officials have since stated that Fahiye was indeed targeted and possibly killed, though it remains unconfirmed by other parties.
Abdul Qadir Mumin, the founder of the Islamic State Somalia who is believed to be one of the most senior Islamic State leaders globally, also remains a suspected target. However, neither the US, Mogadishu, nor the Islamic State have confirmed the identity of a specific leader killed in the strikes as of the time of publishing. Only the unconfirmed information from Puntland reports Fahiye’s demise.
The latest US airstrikes in northern Somalia continue a pattern of recent operations. Last May, the US killed at least three Islamic State Somalia militants in a drone strike in the Cal Miskaat Mountains south of Bosaso. In January 2023, the US killed senior Islamic State Somalia leader Bilal al Sudani in a special operations raid in the same mountain range.
Somalia as a whole is also no stranger to US strikes, as the US has conducted at least 277 of them in the country since 2007. However, data compiled by Long War Journal shows these operations mainly targeted the Islamic State’s rival in Al Qaeda’s Shabaab.
The UAE in Puntland
Perhaps more surprising for many was the public acknowledgment of airstrikes carried out by the United Arab Emirates. While the UAE is more secretive about its military activity compared to the United States, it is believed to have conducted at least two airstrikes in Puntland since the beginning of the year.
On January 2, an airstrike was reported against Islamic State positions in the Cal Miskaat Mountains as Puntland was commencing its operations against the militants. Though many outlets assumed the airstrike to be the work of the US, it never took credit for it. It is thus believed to have been conducted by the UAE.
More recently, on February 4, another round of airstrikes took place in the Togga Jacayl area within the same mountain range of Puntland. The US has again, so far, not taken credit for these operations, leading many to speculate it was the UAE. Some Puntland outlets have even explicitly confirmed the role of the UAE in these strikes.
The latest operations would also not be the first Emirati strikes in the country. It is believed that the UAE launched its first drone strike inside Somalia in June 2023, when it targeted Shabaab positions in the central region of Galguduud. An unclaimed airstrike in May 2024 in the Cal Miskaat Mountains of Puntland is also thought to have been carried out by the UAE.
The UAE has a significant history in Puntland and an evolving relationship with the Somali state. It has been militarily involved in Puntland since the early 2010s when it helped create the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), a major security organ in the region. The UAE has been the PMPF’s primary funder, supplier, and trainer since its creation. It is also understood that almost 200 Emirati troops are hosted at a PMPF base in Puntland’s Bosaso.
Elsewhere in Somalia, the UAE has supported several military units and provided training and funding for others in Mogadishu, especially as its rival Qatar supports other units. The UAE offers both direct training inside Mogadishu and pays for training Somali forces in Eritrea, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The UAE’s base in Mogadishu was targeted early last year in an attack conducted by a Shabaab member who infiltrated the training program.
The UAE also reportedly provides military support to the regional forces of Jubaland, a southern state of Somalia on the border with Kenya that currently treats itself as independent of Mogadishu.
Emirati airstrikes in Puntland align with the UAE’s more aggressive foreign policy in recent years. The Emirates undertook drone strikes in Yemen in support of a Saudi-led operation and Libya in support of General Khalifa Haftar. The UAE has also provided direct aerial reconnaissance support and supplied drones to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
As Puntland’s military offensive against the Islamic State continues to rage, additional airstrikes in support of Puntland’s troops may take place. The United States tends to be relatively transparent about such operations, but the United Arab Emirates is likely to remain discreet about future strikes.
