A top commander of the Islamic State’s Somalia faction was taken into custody on Monday, according to police and state media reports. This development comes just two days after U.S. airstrikes targeted the group’s leadership, as security forces intensify their ongoing offensive, Reuters has reported.
In recent years, the Somalia-based branch of ISIS has gained prominence within the organization’s global network, bolstered by an influx of foreign fighters and strengthened financial operations.
During an attack on a military base last December, the group reportedly deployed two explosive-laden vehicles, a tactic analysts say signals an evolution in their operational strategy.
Authorities confirmed that Abdirahman Shirwac Aw-Saciid, who led the group’s assassination squad, surrendered on Monday in the Cal Miskaad mountains in northeastern Puntland, Somalia’s state news agency SONNA reported.
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The police chief of Puntland’s Bari region, Abdikadir Jama Dirir, verified the capture of the militant leader, known by the alias “Laahoor,” who was also responsible for extorting local businesses to fund the group’s activities.
Puntland’s regional government launched a large-scale offensive against Islamic State militants and their Al-Qaeda-linked rivals, Al-Shabaab, in December. Officials claim to have dismantled several IS bases since then.
Following U.S. airstrikes on Saturday, an initial assessment indicated significant militant casualties, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on Sunday.
Although Islamic State’s Somalia faction was once considered a secondary security threat compared to Al-Shabaab—an extremist group controlling large parts of southern Somalia—it has grown in strength and influence in recent years.
Somali authorities continue their struggle to restore stability after more than three decades of unrest following the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre.
