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Vol 57 No 23

Published 18th November 2016


Somalia

ISIS's Puntland stunt

The brief seizure of Qandala by Da'ish supporters was made possible by a rupture in the clan alliances governing Puntland

After long seeking a foothold in Somalia, ISIS's Somali followers finally pulled off a coup by seizing the port of Qandala on 26 October. Capturing the Puntland town, 80 kilometres east of Bossasso on the Gulf of Aden, was of greater publicity than military significance but it demonstrated the determination of Somali supporters of ISIS to extend its power in the Horn of Africa. It was the first such action since Sheikh Abdiqadir Mumin, once a prominent emir in Al Haraka al Shabaab al Mujahideen, mounted his unsuccessful attempt last October to split Al Shabaab and take most of its fighters with him.

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