Nairobi — Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni held high-level security talks with senior US and British special forces commanders in Nairobi, focusing on the final stages of a major offensive against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in northeastern Somalia.

The meeting with Colonel Ryan Flaherty, head of US special operations in East Africa, and Britain's Colonel Rich Grover comes as Puntland forces claim to be nearing the completion of "Operation Hilaac," a monthslong campaign to dislodge the group from its mountain strongholds.

"The discussions focused on the general security situation in Somalia, particularly the fight against the Daacish (ISIS) group," the Puntland presidency said in a statement.

Special attention was given to "the success of the final operations to clear Daacish from the Calmiskaad mountains," a rugged range in the Bari region that has served as a primary hideout for the militants.

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Deni expressed his gratitude to Washington and London for their "pivotal" technical and security support, which officials say has been crucial in capturing dozens of caves and outposts used by the insurgents.

The talks also addressed strengthening international cooperation to prevent the group from regrouping. While smaller than the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, the ISIS faction in Somalia has gained international notoriety as a financial and logistical hub for the global extremist network.

The Nairobi summit was attended by Puntland's director general for the presidency, Mohamed Jama Abdirahman, and Mohamed Abdirahman Dhabancad, the region's representative for international relations.

Puntland, a semi-autonomous state in Somalia's northeast, has increasingly sought direct international security partnerships amid a deepening political rift with the federal government in Mogadishu over constitutional changes and the country's electoral roadmap.