This dyad belongs to the conflict Somalia: Islamic State
Summary of conflict Somalia: Islamic State
The territorial conflict between the government of Somalia and Islamic State (IS) emerged in 2017 under the leadership of Abdul Qaidr Mumin, who splintered from Al-Shabaab and pledged allegiance to then-leader of IS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2015. The faction was recognized by IS on 25 December 2017, announcing the creation of “Wilayat al-Somal” (Somalia Province). This marks the first stated goal of Islamic State in Somalia.
In 2025, the conflict between the Islamic State (IS) and the [Government of Somalia] escalated significantly compared to the previous years, with fatalities exceeding 100, making the conflict active for the first time since 2021 and the most violent year since the fighting began in 2018. The increase in violence was driven primarily by intensified airstrikes conducted by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in coordination with the Somali government, targeting IS strongholds in the mountainous areas of Bari region. Notably, an AFRICOM airstrike in the Cal Miskaat mountains in February 2025 reportedly killed over 40 IS fighters.
Following Puntland)’s withdrawal of recognition of the federal government in 2024, ground counterterrorism operations conducted by Puntland security forces against IS are attributed to the non-state conflict between the two actors rather than as part of the state-based conflict.
Al-Shabaab splinter: Abnaa ul-Calipha
Somalia is a country which has been fragmented by civil war, clan fighting, and Islamic insurgency. The origins of Islamic State (IS) in Somalia trace back to a group of insurgents, who splintered from Al-Shabaab – the main jihadist group in Somalia and al-Qaida’s official branch in East Africa – and pledged allegiance to IS. Abnaa ul-Calipha was a group which emerged in the mountains of the northern Putland state in 2015, and gradually progressed into becoming part of IS.
The origins of Abnaa ul-Calipha dates back to 2012, when Abdul Qadir Mumin, an Al-Shabaab official, was sent to the remote Galgala mountains in the northern Putland state. He was responsible for the recruitment of the Al-Shabaab's local Putland branch, which was led by Mohamed Said Atom at the time. Due to its isolated location and being remote from central Al-Shabaab leadership in southern Somalia, the branch was small in number and weak in military capabilities. Mumin took over the leadership of Putland branch in 2014, after Atom surrendered and defected to the government forces during Galgala campaign. It has been argued that taking over the leadership facilitated Mumin's isolation from Al-Shabaab and its ideology.
Mumin's separation further deepened as IS launched a series of propaganda campaign from their various provinces, calling Al-Shabaab to join their cause. Their propaganda campaign came amidst Al-Shabaab's internal division and leadership struggles. Hence, al-Qaida affiliate Al-Shabaab did not perceive IS's propaganda campaign well. Therefore, refused being part of IS and emphasized its loyalty to Al-Qaida. Al-Shabaab's leader ordered Amniyat, Al-Shabaab's internal security service, to kill members who seek to join IS.
Already isolated and acting relatively autonomous Al-Shabaab commander, Abdul Qadir Mumin, splintered from Al-Shabaab and pledged allegiance to IS and its then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2015. His announcement came from his hideout in the Golis mountains in Putland. The new splinter group, called Abnaa ul-Calipha, and 20 fighters from the local branch followed Mumin. Even though Mumin pledged allegiance to IS in 2015, IS did not recognize the group and did not announce the creation of the Somalia province until 2017.
While Abnaa ul-Calipha was the main pro-Islamic State group in Somalia, there were other smaller groups which pledged allegiance to IS in the southern regions, before Mumin. However, these groups, lacking formalized names, are less well known and posed less threat than Abnaa ul-Calipha. It appears that there was no clear connection between Abnaa ul-Calipha and southern IS-loyal forces, however, Mumin posed himself as the overall leader of the pro-IS groups within Somalia. The southern groups did not get attention until a well-known Al-Shabaab commander, Bashir Abu Numan, pledged allegiance to IS, which led to his assassination by the Amniyat in late 2015. The southern groups were more exposed to the attacks from Al-Shabaab and the government forces due to their location. Southern Somalia, being Al-Shabaab’s main operational area, had most of the fighting between Al-Shabaab and the government forces. Hence, IS-loyal forces remained weak in the southern region as they were frequently challenged by their oppositions, more frequently than Abnaa ul-Calipha. In November and December 2015, Al-Shabaab destroyed the two most important pro-IS cells in the southern region. Furthermore, the government forces claimed to have attacked and neutralized many southern insurgents.
In March 2016, Al-Shabaab pursued Abnaa ul-Calipha into Mudug region, until Al-Shabaab was intercepted by the government forces and was defeated. Therefore, the government forces unintentionally allowed Abnaa ul-Calipha forces to escape. In the following months, the group focused on training and on 14 April 2016, Mumin released a video introducing their first training camp in the Putland state. The training camp was named after Bashir Abu Numan, who was assassinated by Amniyat. Furthermore, in the same video, Mumin claimed their first attack on government forces, which was an IED attack on the African Union convoy in the capital Mogadishu. From its creation until October 2016, Abnaa ul-Calipha claimed 12 attacks, which pointed out that the group was relatively weak. However, some of the attacks were carried out in Mogadishu, which signified their ability to operate outside of their main region, Putland.
In August 2016, the United States Department of State added Abdul Qadir Mumin on their list of specially designated global terrorists, and claimed that since its establishment, Mumin managed to grow his group by forcefully recruiting young boys aged between 10 and 15.
Qandala campaign 2016
On 26 October 2016, Abnaa ul-Calipha launched their first large scale attack targeting a small fishing port town Qandala, located in Putland's Bari region. Qandala town had a strategic significance: because it is located few hours from the coast of Yemen, it would have allowed the insurgents to receive supplies from outside.
Abnaa ul-Calipha fighters captured Qandala town and controlled it without a challenge until 3 December 2016, when the Putland Security Force - included clan militias, police, and regional government soldiers - launched a counter-offensive which lasted for four days. The security forces took Qandala back on 7 December, claimed killing 30 and wounding 25 insurgents during the fighting.
After losing Qandala town, insurgents retreated to a village called El Ladid, which is located 30 kms south of Qandala town. The government forces followed the fighters to the village and launched an offensive on 18 December, claiming to have killed several insurgents. Prior to the Qandala campaign, it has been reported that the group had around 200 to 300 fighters, however, according to defectors from the group, after the campaign there were around 70 fighters remaining in the group. Even though the Qandala campaign caused the group many casualties and was defeated, it proved the group’s capability to conduct larger scale attacks as they captured and controlled an important town for more than one month. Additionally, following the Qandala campaign, the government of Somalia forces and United States took Abnaa ul-Calipha as a more dangerous threat, which led both forces to further their efforts to counter group’s strength. Abnaa ul-Calipha established a new headquarter in Cal Miskaat mountain in the Bari region, which paved the way for new recruits, as well as more defectors from Al-Shabaab.
Escalation of violence
Abnaa ul-Calipha’s second large scale attack occurred on 8 February 2017, when the group attacked a hotel in Bossasso town, the commercial capital of the Putland region. Furthermore, the group took over the control of Dasan village, near Qandala town, however, abandoned it several hours after capturing it. The first suicide attack came on 23 May 2017, when the suicide bomber was stopped at a military checkpoint on his way to Bossasso hotel, led to detonate the explosives and killing 5 at the checkpoint.
The United States launched their first air strike on Abnaa ul-Calipha on 3 November 2017, in Buqa village, located in the east of Bossasso. The air strike killed several members of the group, however, it failed to kill Mumin. US conducted two more air strikes against the group in Bari region on 12 and 17 November. The air strikes launched by the US indicated that Abnaa ul-Calipha became a considerable threat to the country, especially the Putland region. By the end of 2017, United Nations estimated that Abnaa ul-Calipha had grew up to 200 fighters.
Abnaa ul-Calipha becomes Islamic State in Somalia
On 25 December 2017, Islamic State announced the creation of “Wilayat al Somal” (Somalia Province) under the name of Islamic State in Somalia (ISS). This marks the first stated goal establishing an Islamic State in Somalia and thus what had previously been Abnaa ul-Calipha was integrated into ISS. The group continued to be largely based in the Golis and Bari mountains of northern state of Putland. Their troop size is not known, however, according to the experts it is between 150 to 300, fighters mainly from Somalia. Additionally, according to a video released by ISS on 23 January 2019, the group consists of several fighters from Majeerteen, Lailkase, Sheekhaal, Rahanweyn, Marehan, Gaalje’el, Abgaal, Hawadle, and Mahamuud Saleban clans and subclans.
The first claimed activity from ISS did not come until February 2018, when the IS-linked Amaq news agency said ISS militants had assassinated a Somali intelligence officer in Afgoye town, approximately 28 kms west of the capital Mogadishu, however, the claim was not confirmed by the security forces. The first ISS attack in Mogadishu occurred on 22 May 2018, when they assassinated a police officer in Bakara market. Throughout 2018, ISS claimed 66 attacks in Somalia, which was more than the attacks claimed by Abnaa ul-Calipha in the previous years. Even though many of these claims were not verified by other sources, it indicates that the group increased its activity after being integrated into ISS.
Islamic State in Somalia’s main operational area was concentrated in the Putland region, where the attacks against the government forces were in the forms of suicide attacks, armed fighting, and brief capturing of the towns and villages. Their activities in the capital Mogadishu and its area stayed limited, as they conducted low-level assassinations of the security forces.
The Islamic State of Somalia stayed as a considerable threat – however, not the deadliest – to the Somali security forces and to the stability of the region since its establishment, which led to conflict to increase its intensity over time. However, over the years, ISS failed to establish a stronghold in Somalia as they faced frequent military operations by the Somali security forces and US airstrikes. Especially since the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019, the operational tempo of ISS had subsided slightly, as they launched fewer attacks compared to previously. Throughout 2020, the Somali security forces conducted operations on militant hideouts and infrastructure which led to killing important regional leaders and members of the group. The counter-terrorism operations continued in 2021. Most notably, two operations carried by Somali National Army on 4 April and 29 May 2021 in the Cal Miskaat mountain area that killed 24 and 20 ISS fighters, respectively. It is important to note that the dominant Al-Shabaab presence created pressure for ISS, which prevented them from further expanding their operational area in the country. Since the establishment of Abnaa ul-Calipha and later its integration to ISS, Al-Shabaab launched offensives to the group and fought over territorial claim and religious authority.
