Over 20 Al-Shabaab militants, including three high-level members, were allegedly killed and dozens injured by airstrikes conducted by the Somali government and “international partners” on 26 May, 2024 in the Calmadow mountains of Puntland. The strikes were reported to have targeted a “terrorist camp” and “disrupted a terrorist plot targeting civilians”.

Multiple parties denied involvement; others refuted claims by other states. While the Somali government reported “a joint operation with int’l partners”, Puntland authorities refuted the claim. Puntland, a semi-autonomous region, is at a “high level of conflict” with the federal government. Accordingly, regional authorities alleged that the Somali National Army had not been involved in the strike, as they “had never been within the vicinity where the operation was carried [out]” as reported by Garowe Online. Garowe Online further claimed that the “Information Minister for the Regional Administration of Puntland confirmed there were ‘explosions’ but said there was no proof the explosions were the result of strikes”.  This was refuted by the Somali government, as a post from the X/Twitter account of the Somalian Ministry of Defense announced the strike. In response to a statement issued by Somali government announcing that it had been, along with “international partners”, “closely monitoring” Al-Shabaab’s activities in the region, the “Ministry of Information of Puntland government” reported that there was “no truth to the news spread by the Ministry of Information of the Federal Government of Somalia”. The statement reiterated that “the Puntland government is responsible for its own security [and] therefore there are no SNA [Somali National Army] forces operating or present in Puntland”.

The United States AFRICOM (Africa Command) also denied any involvement, “dismissing claims by the Somali Ministry of Information,” according to @HarunMaruf and other local sources.

A report by Long War Journal, published several months after the strike, reported that though responsibility for the strike remains “unclaimed”, it was possibility “carried out by the UAE”, which has a “significant history” in the region.

The local time of the incident is unknown.