U.S. warplanes have carried out heavy overnight airstrikes against suspected ISIS (Daacish) positions in Bari region of Puntland State in north-eastern Somalia, local security officials said.

The strikes, conducted late last night, targeted what officials described as strategic locations used by ISIS, including command posts and defensive positions. The areas hit are believed to have hosted fighters who in recent months have been in direct confrontation with Puntland Defence Forces.

According to security sources, the operation focused on ISIS fortifications in the Baalade valley, where Puntland forces are implementing the final phase of a broader offensive against the group, particularly in and around the Calmiskaad mountain range. The strikes were described as “successive and concentrated,” aimed at degrading the group’s remaining defensive lines.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has not yet issued a formal statement on the latest operation. However, this is the second reported U.S. airstrike in a short span of time targeting ISIS elements believed to be sheltering in the rugged terrain of Bari region.

The ongoing Puntland-led campaign in Baalade and the Calmiskaad mountains is viewed as one of the most significant recent efforts to weaken ISIS’s foothold in north-eastern Somalia and to limit its operational space in remote, hard-to-access areas.