Two IS-Somalia terrorist suspects have been apprehended at Bosaso Airport in northern Puntland last week. The arrests raised questions about security lapses. In Mogadishu, security officers allowed one of the individuals to board the plane to Bosaso.
Bosaso, Puntland, SOMALIA. By Dalmar:
Puntland Intelligence Security Agency (PISA) officers apprehended a suspected member of a terrorist organization affiliated with the Islamic State, known as the Islamic State in Somalia (IS-S), at Bosaso Airport. The detainee has confessed to his association with IS-S. He was reportedly en route to the mountainous part of northern Puntland, where the extremist group has a presence.
PISA officers also arrested a second individual, identified as Shire. Shire is reportedly a clan elder that the group was using to ferry its members into the region. He waited at the airport to facilitate the transfer of the arriving suspect to the IS-S territories.
What has raised serious concerns is the fact that the suspected terrorist arrived in Bosaso on a flight originating from Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu. This discovery has ignited a debate surrounding the competence and vigilance of security officers at Mogadishu airport, particularly those of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).
The question remains whether the suspect’s boarding of a flight from Mogadishu was a result of a security lapse or a deliberate act by individuals sympathetic to the extremist group. In both cases, it would signify a severe failure of security agencies responsible for safeguarding Somalia’s main airport.
Some militants defected
In early July, twelve individuals associated with the Islamic State in Somalia group, including foreign fighters, surrendered to Puntland security forces. Among the twelve were six foreigners: four Ethiopians and two Sudanese. The remaining six were Somali citizens.
Their surrender occurred less than a week after another significant sweep by Puntland Police Command. The Puntland authorities captured several key IS-S figures in Amaamo, Balidhidhin, including high-ranking Sudanese commander Mohamed Ibrahim Daha.
