Puntland welcomes former ISIS affiliates amid anti-terrorism push
The government confirmed that these individuals had cashed in on the seven-day amnesty by renouncing their previously held terrorism ideologies.
The Puntland government has announced that it has received contacts from ISIS collaborators looking to take advantage of President Said Abdullahi Deni's amnesty offer.
In a press release from the state's Counter-Terrorism Office, the government confirmed that these individuals had cashed in on the seven-day amnesty by renouncing their previously held terrorism ideologies.
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"The Puntland government welcomes those who have contacted us and benefited from the 7-day amnesty opportunity that the President has extended to anyone who worked with ISIS terrorism and has returned from that ideology," read the statement in part.
The state congratulated government officials, intellectuals and members of the public who had facilitated the deradicalisation and disarmament campaign while revealing that the reintegration exercise for the individuals in question was already underway.
"We thank our people for supporting the Army in every way, especially those living in rural areas who report terrorist activities and anyone they suspect," said the state.
The press release also emphasised that the amnesty window, which began on February 28, 2025, remains open for others who have yet to come forward.
"For the remaining people yet to make contact, the opportunity is still open for the remaining time; the week given to them," noted the statement.
This development comes as President Deni pushes forward with the third and final phase of the Hilac Campaign, an extensive military operation aimed at eliminating the last strongholds of the Islamic State in Puntland.
In a recent televised address, President Deni described the amnesty initiative, which is a departure from Puntland’s approach to tackling extremism, as both a reconciliation effort and a strategic move to weaken terrorist networks by encouraging defections.
"This is a one-time opportunity for those who have been misled or coerced into supporting ISIS to turn their backs on the group and start a new life as law-abiding citizens of Puntland," he declared.
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