Sunday July 2, 2023
Garowe (HOL) - Twelve Daesh militants, including six foreign fighters, surrendered to Puntland security forces in the mountains of the Bari region on Saturday.
The police report indicates that the six foreign militants consist of four Ethiopians, two Sudanese, and the remaining six are Somali citizens.
These men surrendered to the Puntland forces in the village of Balidhidhin, located in the Bari region.
During an interview, the defectors claimed they had been misled and promised employment, emphasizing that they had been part of the Daesh group for nearly a year and got training.
Two individuals stated that they, along with most of their companions, arrived in the town of Bosaso, where they were offered job opportunities by people they knew. Subsequently, they were taken to the mountains where the Daesh militants were based.
Major General Abdiqadir Jama Dirir, the commander of the Bari regional police department, issued a warning to anyone seeking employment, urging them not to fall prey to deceptive schemes that could jeopardize their future. He emphasized that many individuals joining Al-Shabaab and Daesh are impoverished and searching for livelihoods.
Last week, Puntland security forces apprehended foreign ISIS leaders during security operations in the Amamo area of the Balidhidin district in the Bari region.
According to a press release from the Puntland Police Command, one of the arrested individuals has been identified as Mohamed Ibrahim Daha from Sudan. However, the identity of another individual, believed to be a Syrian national, has not been disclosed.