Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has addressed the ongoing fighting against the ISIL group in the Bari region after two months of silence.
President Mohamud praised the victory made by the Puntland security forces against the militant group.
He reiterated his government’s call for the operation against the ISIL militants hiding in the Al-Miskaad mountains.
“I urge the government to speed up support for Somali heroes fighting to liberate areas from ISIL in the mountains,” he said.
President Mohamud said the government and people are united in defeating terror groups and liberating all of Somali land.
“We’re committed to fighting and eradicating global terrorism,” he said.
He said efforts are underway to boost the military’s capacity and the healthcare support for those wounded in the operations.
For two months, Puntland military forces have been seizing major bases from the group as the regional state launched an operation dubbed “Hilaac.”
The region pledged to eliminate the group from Al-Miskaad in the Bari region, where they had major bases to launch deadly attacks.
ISIL has a small presence in Somalia, but security experts have warned of growing activity.
However, the number of the group’s fighters is estimated to be in the hundreds, mostly scattered in the Al-Miskaad, according to the International Crisis Group.
