Suspected ISS militants kill DC in Bari, ‘capture’ local town

GOOBJOOG NEWS|BARI: Assailants suspected to belong to the so-called Islamic State in Somalia (ISS) Wednesday killed a district commissioner in Bari region and reportedly took control of a local town.

Sources in the region say Mohamed Ahmed Mumin was gunned down in Ballidhidin district in Bari region Wednesday night as suspected ISS militants stormed Ballidhidin town and ‘took control’.

There was no immediate response from authorities in Puntland. ISS has for a long time had its base in the Golis mountain ranges, Bari region where it was founded by former UK based preacher Abdulkadir Mumin.

Previous intelligence reports have suggested Mumin has suffered ill-health for some time now but there has been no word of leadership change. Should the militant group retain hold of Ballidhidin, it would be its first prize and major assault since it emerged in Somalia in 2015.

Al-Shabaab managed to push out ISS in Mogadishu during a long drawn battle between 2017 and 2018. ISS has however claimed long wolf attacks in Bosaso, Puntland.

The killing of the district commissioner comes barely three days after Al-Shabaab killed a district commissioner in Garasbaley area in the outskirts of Mogadishu. Mohamed Abubakar succumbed to blast injuries after his car blew up from a car bomb reportedly set up by extremists. Abubakar’s predecessor, Abdirahman Garyare, also suffered a similar fate in Dharkenley District  in May this year.