Mogadishu24, Bosaso, Somalia – Thursday, April 10, 2025:

Puntland regional forces killed two ISIS members—one Somali and one Ethiopian national—in a planned military operation early Thursday morning targeting ISIS militants in the Or Aled area, located in the Shebab Mountains of northeastern Somalia’s Bari region.

According to security sources, the mission aimed to eliminate Abdirahman Isse Fahiye, the second-in-command of ISIS in Somalia and the group’s head of operations. He was reportedly holding a secret meeting in the area with approximately 40 senior ISIS officers. It remains unclear whether Fahiye was injured or managed to escape during the raid.

Fahiye has been a key figure within ISIS-Somalia, having previously clashed with former leader Abdulqadir Mumin in 2023 before being reconciled by the group’s central leadership.

The Ethiopian militant killed in the operation was reportedly the head of ISIS-Somalia’s media and propaganda division, while the Somali individual was identified as a regular fighter.