Puntland forces seize boat carrying illegal weapons 

Somali soldiers

Somali soldiers on patrol in Mogadishu. Security forces in Puntland State have seized a boat carrying illegal military supplies.

Photo credit: File | AFP

Security forces in Somalia's Puntland State say they have seized a boat carrying illegal military supplies, just days after the US launched an air strike targeting ISIS hideouts in the region.

The boat was seized on Monday night and officials said it was carrying military uniforms and equipment.

The vessel was intercepted off the coast of the Qaw area in the Bari region, the easternmost point of the Horn of Africa, about 1,600km northeast of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Puntland is one of Somalia's five federal states and is currently waging war against the violent extremist group Islamic State in Somalia, a local cell of the global terror merchants also known as Daesh in Arabic.

The intended destination of the supplies was not clear, but the Puntland Counter-Terrorism Task Force said in a statement that the boat was manned by Somali nationals.

“The boat and the sailors are now under investigation regarding the intended recipients of the military supplies,” the Puntland Force said.

Puntland has recently been fighting the IS nucleus in the mountainous area along the Golis range in Bari region. And any suspicious activity has been investigated by the Counter-Terrorism Special Task Force.

The boat, which was carrying several people, was seized in the waters off Qaw and further investigations are underway to determine who was to receive the military equipment and the purpose of the transport, whether to Puntland or elsewhere.

The incident came three days after a US airstrike targeted an ISIS hideout in the Cal Maskat area of Bari region, in support of the ongoing ground military campaign by Puntland forces, known locally as the Dervish, against the terrorist group.

The regional administration said the airstrike, carried out by a US military aircraft, was part of a coordinated effort to degrade IS capacity in the area and support the provincial forces leading the ground operations.

Mohamed Mohamud, a maritime expert in Bossaso, Puntland's main port city, believes that if a link is established between the captured vessels and their crew and IS jihadists in Puntland, it will justify the ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorist threats in the region.

Mohamud told The EastAfrican, “This boat seizure further underscores the seriousness of Puntland Government’s anti-terrorism effort.”

Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has recently been travelling between the state capital, Garowe, and Bossaso to encourage the forces confronting the terrorists, while reiterating his government's commitment to continue the fight against terrorism, with international support playing a key role in these efforts.

Last week, Ali Farah Ali alias Farmayeri, director of the Puntland Development Research Centre (PDRC), a non-profit research institution, said the state authority had shown more seriousness in tackling a problem it had ignored for the past decade.

“Since the anti-IS campaign started towards the end of last year, Puntland positioned extra guards along the coast of Bari region to prevent the extremists from accessing the sea, isolating the terror merchants.”