Puntland authorities said a joint airstrike with U.S. Africa Command killed three Islamic State fighters in the Cal Miskaad mountains of Somalia's Bari region, while a separate local report said Puntland forces later seized a key position in the same offensive area.
The reports describe the strikes as part of an ongoing counter-ISIS campaign in the rugged mountain belt east of Bosaso. Hiiraan Online said the Somali Ministry of Information announced that Somali military forces, working with U.S. Africa Command, launched airstrikes on the evenings of February 21 and February 22, 2025. According to that report, the operation targeted ISIS militants hiding in the Al-Miskaat mountains and killed three fighters. The ministry also said no civilians were harmed.
Horseed Media published a separate account saying Puntland forces had moved through areas hit by recent bombardment and captured Curaar, a position described as one of the militants' important defensive sites. The outlet said the seized locations included caves, makeshift defences and riverine positions used by the group. It also said Puntland displayed burned motorcycles and vehicles from earlier strikes, along with bodies described as mostly foreign fighters.
Taken together, the two reports point to a broader pressure campaign against ISIS in the Cal Miskaad range. The Hill-like geography has long given armed groups cover, and the report from Puntland-linked forces suggests the offensive was not limited to a single airstrike. Instead, it appeared to combine air power and ground movement against outposts and hideouts in the same mountain system.
Even so, the available evidence is narrow. Neither report provides independently verified battlefield imagery, casualty confirmation from ISIS, or a full accounting of how much territory changed hands. The strongest shared fact is limited to the joint airstrike claim and the reported death toll of three fighters. On the ground, Puntland's statement of a later capture in Curaar indicates the campaign was still active after the strikes.
The event date for the reports was February 23, 2025, and the evidence available here shows a continuing fight over ISIS positions in remote parts of Bari rather than a single isolated attack. For now, the verified point is that Puntland and U.S.-linked air operations were being used together, with local officials saying three ISIS fighters were killed and a follow-up ground advance reached Curaar.
The ground report adds another important detail: Puntland forces said they had reached Curaar after following the traces left by earlier bombardment. That framing implies the attackers were not simply responding to a one-off exchange but were using a combination of air power, reconnaissance and infantry advances to push into militant-held terrain. The evidence does not prove the full extent of territorial change, but it does show momentum on the Puntland side.
Another point worth keeping separate from speculation is the limited casualty verification. The reports do not provide independent battlefield imagery, and they do not include an ISIS statement confirming losses. That means the article has to stay with the reported figures rather than assume broader damage. Still, the combination of a joint airstrike and a later ground capture strongly suggests an active, multi-stage operation rather than a single isolated event.
