Thursday November 27, 2025 Garowe (HOL) - US Special Forces and Puntland
counter-terrorism units have carried out a coordinated operation targeting an
ISIS hideout in Somalia’s Balade Valley.

According to security sources on Wednesday, dozens of US
troops were inserted into the area using MH-60 helicopters, while MQ-9 Reaper
drones conducted precision strikes on a base believed to house between 10 and
15 ISIS fighters in the Habarbakuuje and Mareero areas of the valley.

The operation triggered a fierce gun battle lasting two to
four hours in a fortified hideout thought to shelter foreign fighters from
Syria, Turkey, and Ethiopia.

Initial reports indicate that a senior ISIS commander and
several of his aides were killed, with an estimated 5 to 10 confirmed militant
deaths. The joint forces also destroyed a cache of weapons and equipment used
by the group in its gold-mining operations, a key source of financial revenue
for ISIS in Puntland.

The Puntland administration has repeatedly stated that it
aims to eliminate ISIS in the region by the end of 2025.

The United States has been supporting Puntland with
airstrikes and intelligence in the mountainous areas, forcing militants to
abandon several positions and withdraw into isolated hideouts.