Bosaso (WDN)- The Calmiskaad Mountains operation against the extremist group ISIS, long portrayed as a counterterrorism success story in Puntland, has resurfaced following renewed militant attacks.
The ISIS group has carried out a deadly attack in the Calmiskaad mountains, killing a rural mother and her daughter near Daraymadow in the Jaceel valley, Qandala district of Bari region—an incident that underscores a troubling shift in the security landscape.
The killings took place late Sunday night. The mother, identified as Faadumo Dugeeye, had already lost her husband to the same group in 2025, highlighting a pattern of targeted violence against vulnerable rural communities.
Beyond the killings, ISIS militants looted approximately 400 livestock from the family and a neighboring household, signaling not only brutality but also a renewed operational confidence. This incident is not isolated. It forms part of a سلسلة of successive attacks reported over the past three months, suggesting a steady and deliberate escalation rather than a one-off breach.
The anti-ISIS campaign launched in February 2025—carried out in close coordination with international partners including AFRICOM and the UAE—inflicted heavy losses on the group, degrading its capabilities to a level rarely seen in similar operations.
But that momentum now appears to be faltering. With the escalation of tensions linked to the Iran–U.S. conflict, external support that had been critical to the campaign—particularly aerial surveillance, strikes, and material assistance—has largely ceased. The vacuum left behind is increasingly visible on the ground.
The extremist group resurgence may also be linked to a possible easing of focus and operational pressure by the Puntland government, which could have inadvertently created space for ISIS elements to regroup, reorganize, and reassert their presence.
What was once a retreating insurgency now appears to be regrouping. Recent reports indicate that ISIS fighters in the Calmiskaad mountains are no longer merely surviving—they are maneuvering, attacking, and reasserting presence. The latest killings and looting suggest a shift from defensive survival to offensive operations.
Opposition figures in Puntland have, for months, warned of precisely this scenario. They have accused the authorities of prematurely declaring victory while the group retained the capacity to reorganize. According to these voices, Puntland’s security forces have been stretched thin, with signs of fatigue and declining morale.
Compounding the challenge, militia fighters drawn from regions such as Mudug and Sanaag—who had bolstered the initial offensive—are reported to have returned to their home areas, leaving gaps in frontline strength.
The result is a fragile security environment where gains once thought consolidated are now at risk of unraveling. So far, the Puntland government has not issued an official statement on the latest attack. But on the ground, the message from Calmiskaad is already clear: ISIS is not only still present—it may be staging a sustained comeback.
And this time, it appears to be on the offensive.
WardheerNews
