MOGADISHU, Somalia – At least 27 soldiers were killed and 40 others were injured in a suicide attack on Puntland army positions in the Al-Maskad mountains of the Bari region.
Puntland soldiers came under ambush by ISIL militants using suicide explosions, followed by heavy fighting, which left dozens dead.
General Mohamed Omar Ahmed said the group launched two separate attacks, with the first failing after the driver of an explosive-laden vehicle was shot dead.
Osman confirmed that the second attack, carried out by suicide bombers on motorcycles, developed into a major battle in which 27 soldiers were killed.
He also confirmed that Puntland troops repulsed the attack and killed more than 70 militants, including foreign fighters, during the fighting.
Puntland authorities reported that over 100 ISIL fighters, mostly foreigners, were killed since December after declaring the all-out war to eradicate the militants from the region.
However, these militants remain much smaller in number compared to Al-Shabaab, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.
The group’s fighters are estimated to be 1,500, mostly scattered in the Al-Maskad region, according to the International Crisis Group.
