Terrorist networks have failed to acquire foothold in Puntland State society. They might have had small pockets in remote mountainous locations and a neglectable  number of foot soldiers here and there, besides reported intimidating long distance phone calls to extort merchants, but they don’t pose a major security threat to the state, and if any, that is due to security lapse and constraints of financial and logistics support to the security personnel.

Any success over terrorist networks depends on community awareness and cooperation with state security forces. However, the security forces in Puntland need counter-insurgency strategy, adequate training and logistics, including reliable communication gear and efficient intelligence network, not only to eliminate the existing terrorist cells and those in remote hiding pockets, but also to preempt their potential attempts to infiltrate into Puntland State territories from South-Central Somalia and Northwest Regions of Somalia (Somaliland). There are also reports circulating in Puntland State and overseas that ISIS may be trying to link up with the Houthis across the Red Sea.

Towards this objective, Puntland State requires cooperation with other parts of Somalia, neighbouring countries, and the international community to fight extremists successfully. Puntland State is now posed to set the example for uprooting terrorism not only in Puntland State and help Somalia but also to contribute to the Horn of Africa in eliminating the menace.

Puntland State and Somalia weakness as a whole in successfully fighting off extremists is the failure of other religious groups in the country to provide counter propaganda to that of Al-Shabab and ISIS. That is really remarkable.