On Saturday, the Puntland authority displayed some of the foreign ISIS fighters who were captured during the fighting in Al-Miskaad Mountain in the Bari region. The 50 prisoners who were displayed included 18 Ethiopians and 11 Moroccans. The remaining prisoners are reported to be from Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey, Yemen, and Syria. Puntland had previously announced that there were over 2000 foreign ISIS fighters based in Al-Miskaad Mountain. During the anti-ISIS operations, it was reported that 600-700 ISIS fighters were killed. The display of the prisoners coincides with Puntland’s announcement that the operations in Al-Miskaad Mountain have been completed, with the exception of a few ISIS fighters who are still hiding in the mountains and on the run. This operation was the longest and resulted in the largest number of casualties for Puntland in their engagement with ISIS, lasting over a year. Puntland lost hundreds of combat soldiers and officers, with many others left maimed. The Puntland government stated that they did not receive support from the Federal Government of Somalia during the operation, but they did express gratitude to the UAE and US for providing support through airstrikes and logistics.
