ISIS Leader Presence has become a major worry for the local people in northern Somalia after the United States Africa Command confirmed that Abdulqadir Mumin is hiding deep in the Cal Miskaad mountains. For many months there were only rumors about where he was staying but this new official report shows that the ISIS Leader Presence is a real threat that hasn’t gone away despite the many drone strikes in the past. These mountains are very difficult to climb and have many caves which makes it the perfect place for a small group to hide from soldiers and planes. The ISIS Leader Activity in Puntland is not just a problem for the local state but for the whole country because this group tries to recruit young men who don’t have jobs. Even though the group is smaller than Al-Shabaab the ISIS Leader Activity brings a lot of fear to the business owners in Bosaso because they are often asked to pay “taxes” to the militants. AFRICOM says they are watching the area very closely with their satellites but the rocky ground makes it hard to know exactly where the ISIS Leader Activity is at any given hour.
The reason the ISIS Leader Activity is so dangerous right now is that the group is trying to show the world they are still strong by carrying out small attacks on police checkpoints. This ISIS Leader Presence in the Golis and Cal Miskaad ranges has forced many nomadic families to leave their homes because they don’t want to get caught in the middle of a battle. The Puntland security forces have been doing their best to block the roads leading to the mountains to stop supplies from reaching the ISIS Leader Activity hideouts. It is a very cat-and-mouse game where the militants move from one cave to another to avoid being seen by the surveillance teams. People in the towns nearby are worried that the ISIS Leader Activity might lead to more airstrikes which sometimes make life very loud and scary for the children living there. We need a strong plan between the federal government and the state of Puntland to finally deal with the ISIS Leader Activity so that the mountains can be used for tourism or mining instead of being a place for war.
Impacts of ISIS Leader Presence on Puntland Security
First the ISIS Leader Activity makes it very hard for international companies to come and look for minerals in the mountains because they are scared of kidnapping. Second because of the ISIS Leader Presence the local government has to spend a lot of money on the military instead of building new schools or fixing the roads. Third the ISIS Leader Activity has caused a “displaced person” crisis where hundreds of families are now living in tents near the big cities.
Fourth the ISIS Leader Activity creates a bad image for our country in the news which makes it harder for us to get foreign investment for our ports. Fifth the ISIS Leader Activity encourages other small criminal groups to join them because they think they can hide in the mountains forever without being caught. Sixth and finally the ISIS Leader Presence means that our own soldiers have to stay in the cold mountains for many months away from their families to protect the villages.
Clearing the Mountains of ISIS Leader Activity
To truly end the ISIS Leader Presence we must realize that bombs alone will not solve the problem because the mountains are too big to hit everywhere. We need to help the people living near the ISIS Leader Activity areas so they have a reason to support the government and report any strange people they see. If we give the youth in Puntland better jobs and a good education they will not be tempted by the lies told by those who follow the ISIS Leader Presence ideology. The AFRICOM reports are a good warning but the real work of removing the ISIS Leader Presence has to be done by us on the ground with the help of our local elders and leaders.
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It is a very long journey to make those mountains safe again but we have seen other parts of Somalia get better so we know it is possible. The ISIS Leader Activity is a dark shadow over a beautiful part of our land and we must work together to bring the light back. If we stay united and keep our eyes open we can make sure that the next report from the military says that the ISIS Leader Presence is finally gone for good.
