Puntland forces kill three ISIS fighters as Qandala offensive draws closer

Puntland forces Monday killed three fighters from the ISIS surrogate in northern Somalia as the forces push for an offensive with the militants which are holding the ancient seaport town of Qandala.

A senior military official quoted by Reuters said the Puntland forces with the support of local militia fighters clashed with ISIS fighters in Obohole valley some 34 kilometres west of Qandala pulling three of them out of action and injuring several others.

“Our forces attacked IS fighters in Obolohe valley today, killing three of their fighters and injuring two others,” Mohamed Saiid, a Puntland military official involved in the operation, told Reuters.

Sources have told Goobjoog News the allied forces are closing in on the town with advance team clearing landmines ahead of an impending clash with the Abdulqadir Mumin led faction which announced its allegiance to ISIS last year.

The tough terrain has constrained the soldiers from making a close on the town, a source told Goobjoog News.

Puntland Maritime official Abdirazaq Farah Diriye said Sunday an amphibious operation was also ongoing to ensure a land and sea attack on the militants which are estimated to be in a few hundreds.

It is not however clear if the Puntland forces are getting air support from US forces which are based in neighbouring Djibouti. US Special Forces have been involved in a number of operations against Al-Shabaab taking out senior leaders of the group through drone and joint ground attacks with US trained Somalia elite squads.