Mystery Surrounds Fate of ISIS Leader in Somalia as Al-Miskaad Offensive Drags On

BOSASO, Somalia - For months, the whereabouts of the ISIS terrorist leader in Somalia remain unknown, with the people only left to speculate in the middle of the ongoing operations within the Al-Miskaad mountains in the Puntland state of Somalia.

Abdulkadir Mumin, the leader of this group, has not made any public appearance, but there are speculations that he sneaked out of the country and is possibly either in Sudan or Mozambique.

It’s also possible that he was killed in the airstrikes, and that the group is concealing his fate to avoid division and keep local support. Observers, however, rule out the possibility that he is directly involved in the ongoing fighting, given the difficult terrain and his age.

Last year, US President Donald Trump hinted that Mumin was potentially eliminated, but there is no credible evidence to prove the claims, given that the Command has not made any communication. Throughout this year, the US Africa Command has been bombarding ISIS militants in the Al-Miskaad mountains.

Another top commander, Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf, was reportedly captured in July 2025 - although later information suggests he actually surrendered. He was potentially poised to take over as the leader of the group.

That leaves Abdirahman Fahiye, a polarising figure and a battle-hardened jihadist, as the man now fully in charge of ISIS, alongside foreign commanders from northern and eastern Africa, but the information is subject to confirmation.

ISIS militants defected from Al-Shabaab about a decade ago and pledged allegiance to ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-leader.

After al-Shabaab issued threats, the group, led by the well-known Salafi scholar and former al-Shabaab member Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin, moved into the eastern highlands of Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region.

They settled in the area using clan affiliation and other manipulations. Al-Shabaab retaliated and executed many of their men in the southern half of the country. Al-Shabaab also pursued them into the Al-Miskaad Mountains in an attempt to end their jihadist rivals. Mumin’s fighters defended themselves and forced al-Shabaab to abandon its ambitions - for now.

But the group has, over the years, survived harsh conditions due to the difficult terrain, internal divisions, and U.S. drone attacks. They grew slowly until they managed to recruit hundreds of fighters, the majority of them foreigners.

They also collected millions of dollars through extortion, funds they have been using to run their operations and even support ISIS's global operations. In recent years, they upgraded their weapons and training and were on the verge of posing a serious threat to the entire region, says Harun Maruf, a seasoned journalist.

Somali authorities in the Puntland region launched a major offensive late last year, dislodging the militants from most of their main bases and hideouts. ISIS lost a significant number of men in field battles and as a result of airstrikes by the U.S. and the UAE, which have been helping Somali forces.

But ten months on, ISIS fighters are still posing a threat to the local forces, resorting to IEDs and guerrilla tactics. Still, the odds remain in favor of Puntland defeating them with an intensified, all-out war, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if the militants manage to drag out the fighting for years and eventually wear down the campaign against them.

GAROWE ONLINE