Somalia: U.S. special forces join Puntland in major strike on ISIS hideout in Balade Valley


US Special Forces and Puntland counter-terrorism units have carried out a coordinated operation targeting an ISIS hideout in Somalia’s Balade Valley.

According to security sources on Wednesday, dozens of US troops were inserted into the area using MH-60 helicopters, while MQ-9 Reaper drones conducted precision strikes on a base believed to house between 10 and 15 ISIS fighters in the Habarbakuuje and Mareero areas of the valley. The operation triggered a fierce gun battle lasting two to four hours in a fortified hideout thought to shelter foreign fighters from Syria, Turkey, and Ethiopia.

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Source: Hiiraan News


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