Yemen Monitor/Aden/Agencies:
Reports have emerged that the Islamic State (ISIS) in Somalia’s Puntland region has gained ground from its long-time rival, Al-Shabaab.
This comes amidst fears of the terrorist organization potentially coordinating with its counterpart in the Republic of Yemen, despite its demise more than two years ago.
ISIS claims to have taken control of the Musqad mountain range. The groups have been competing for control of strategic territory in the Bari region for eight years, according to a new report by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.
The location of Musqad in northeastern Somalia provides dense forest cover near a clan with ties to ISIS Somalia leader Abdiqadir Mumin, who provides protection for the group. It is a remote area with low population density and few permanent settlements.
“ISIS’s expansion in Puntland gives the organization a major propaganda boost to support its recruitment efforts and attract foreign fighters,” said Ahmed Khalid, a counterterrorism analyst at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, to Somali radio station and the news site Horseed Media.
Khalid, the lead author of the new report, wrote that the expansion also gives the organization greater access to the sea, more opportunities for taxation and financial operations, and potential coordination with the ISIS branch in Yemen.
This could also help ISIS exploit the increased activities of Somali pirates. Al-Shabaab has done this by offering to protect pirates in exchange for a share of ransom proceeds so after a six-year lull in attacks, Somali pirates began to resume activity last year.
