U.S. Officials Meet Puntland President in Bosaso, Praise Counter-ISIS Efforts

BOSASO, Somalia — The U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley, along with Major General Claude Tudor, commander of U.S. forces operating in Africa, and Colonel Benander, head of the U.S. Special Operations mission in East Africa, met Saturday with Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni in the coastal city of Bosaso to commend Puntland’s efforts in fighting ISIS and securing its maritime borders.

American officials praised Puntland’s “leadership role” in the fight against terrorism, emphasizing that the threat posed by groups like ISIS is not limited to Somalia but also affects the broader Horn of Africa region and the United States itself.

In a statement released by the Puntland presidency, the meeting was described as "comprehensive," covering Somalia’s wider security, political, and development landscape. The two sides reportedly discussed ongoing cooperation in counter-terrorism and regional stability.

The statement also confirmed that the U.S. delegation held a separate meeting with commanders of the Hillaac Operation, an elite Puntland-led counter-terrorism unit operating in the rugged Cal-Miskaad mountains, where ISIS remnants are believed to be hiding.

The visit comes just days after a U.S. airstrike killed Abdullahi Omar Abdi, a traditional elder accused by U.S. officials of acting as a weapons facilitator for terrorist groups. While the U.S. has not released full evidence to support the claim, the strike has sparked public anger in parts of the Sanaag region, where the elder was well-known.

It remains unclear whether the U.S. airstrike in Sanaag was discussed during the Bosaso meeting, but the incident has drawn criticism from local residents and elders who questioned the justification for targeting the elder.

GAROWE ONLINE