Somalia: Puntland Prepares Military Operation Against Al-Shabaab in Sanaag's Calmadow Mountains

Bosaso, Aug 3 — The Puntland administration is preparing a military operation targeting Al-Shabaab militants entrenched in the Calmadow mountains of Somalia's Sanaag region, security sources told Radio Shabelle.

Armed Puntland forces are set to be deployed soon for the operation, with reports indicating ongoing troop mobilizations and equipment readiness.

Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni previously pledged that the operation against the Daesh-affiliated group in the Cali Miskaad mountains would be followed by a campaign targeting Al-Shabaab in Calmadow.

Additionally, Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) units are expected to be stationed in the coastal town of Lasqoray in Sanaag, where a new official base will be established to strengthen security along the Gulf of Aden coastline.

Sources confirmed that this will be Puntland's second-largest PMPF base after Bosaso, aimed at enhancing maritime and territorial security in the region.

The planned offensive, dubbed "Operation ONKOD," seeks to eliminate Al-Shabaab's presence in the mountainous terrain of Calmadow.

Reports also suggest that the Puntland forces' deployment aims to assert the regional administration's control over Sanaag, amid competing claims from the federal government-backed Puntland and the breakaway Somaliland administration, which recently declared control over Laascaanood town in neighbouring Sool region.

The situation in Sanaag remains complex and tense, with a three-way contest involving Puntland, Somaliland, and the newly formed Northeast Somalia administration vying for influence.

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