Islamic State continues complex attacks in Somalia

Details and photos

Amaq News Agency, the official media of the Islamic State, issued a lengthy statement on 13 February, claiming a large coordinated attack conducted by the Somali province against a camp of Puntland forces in Somalia.

According to Amaq News, which issued a lengthy statement claiming responsibility for the attack, the operations began a few days earlier with monitoring activities using drones.

Then, the attack against an outpost of the Puntland Forces, in the areas of the Bari Administrative Region in Puntland, was carried out with a violent attack between 3 different directions, initially with 10 suicide bombers. This was followed by mortar and artillery attacks and then multiple attacks directed by other militants.

IS claims that the death toll of the attack amounts to about 50. A few hours later, IS media also released four photos to show the attack (taken with drones). The operations of IS-Somalia are finding ample space in all official media of the Islamic State, in particular Amaq News Agency and al-Naba News Paper (in issue 482 the first and third pages were dedicated to it).

This is the second major IS attack in Somalia (the first major one ever conducted in Somalia by the Islamic State occurred on 1 January 2025, read the details here).

From 12 September to 25 December 2024, the Somali province had claimed only one attack, conducted against Somali police forces on the outskirts of Mogadishu. From 1 January to 13 February 2025, however, IS-Somalia has already conducted 33 attacks, all against forces in Puntland, which is conducting counter-terrorism operations against the group.

Daniele Garofalo is a researcher and analyst on Jihadist Terrorism, Islamist Insurgents and Armed Groups. He is an expert in Monitoring Jihadist Media Channels and Islamist rebels and Armed Groups.

Support my research, analysis and monitoring with a donation here PayPal.Me/DanieleGarofalo88