Islamic State – Somalia Province

Common card · No. 258398

Islamic State – Somalia Province (IS–SP or ISS), Abnaa ul-Calipha or Islamic State of Somalia is an affiliate of the Islamic State that primarily operates in the mountainous regions of Puntland, northern Somalia, and has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks across the country. The group first appeared in the latter half of 2015 when pro-Islamic State fighters within al-Shabaab defected and pledged allegiance to IS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The group has an estimated 500–700 fighters. ISS remained dormant for a year after its founding but gained attention in 2016 by briefly capturing the port of Qandala. It controls a small, sparsely populated area in northern Somalia's mountains and was officially recognized by IS leadership as Somalia Province ("Wilayat al Somal") in December 2017. While cells have periodically appeared in southern Somalia and Kenya, the primary area of operations for ISS is the Al-Madow and Golis Mountains in Puntland, where the presence of both al-Shabaab and...

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