🧵Investigative journalism in #Somalia is welcome, and @washingtonpost report from Feb made valuable contributions to story of #ISIS foreign recruitment in #Puntland state. But the story vastly exaggerates its own importance, among other issues...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/02/09/somalia-islamic-state-puntland-terrorism/
#geography #security #ISIL #HornOfAfrica #Africa #journalist #factcheck @geography @geopolitics #MiddleEast
Story in @washingtonpost calls itself "most complete account to date of how the Islamic State was able to regroup [in #Somalia] over the past decade". Yet all but the most recent of such info had already been covered several times over by reports from UN, Intl Crisis Group, etc
#geography #ISIS #ISIL #geopolitics #security #Puntland #IslamicState #HornOfAfrica #security #journalism #factcheck @geography @geopolitics @unitednations
The title of the @washingtonpost story, "The Islamic State has regrouped in Somalia — and has global ambitions" is also strikingly off-base, since journalist Katharine Houreld is in fact reporting on the group's dramatic retreat in face of offensive by #Puntland state forces.
#Somalia #ISIS #ISIL #geography #HornOfAfrica #military #middleeast
@geography @geopolitics
Several smaller criticisms of @washingtonpost report on #ISIS in #Somalia:
1. Describing #Puntland state in general as "remote" is dubious, since it lies on one of world's most important shipping channels (#GulfOfAden), including major port city (#Bosaso)
2. Miskad Mts are not on "the very tip" of the #HornOfAfrica, they are about 100 mi (150 km) southwest of it
(...)
#geography #geopolitics #Africa #MiddleEast
@geography @geopolitics
3. @washingtonpost story says woman shooting 2 soldiers was "first time a female combat fighter from an Islamist group has been seen in Somalia".
This is only true if suicide bombers don't count. Though rare, women have acted as suicide bombers for #AlShabaab several times before.
#Somalia #Puntland #military #geopolitics #ISIS #ISIL #war #gender #MiddleEast #Africa
@geography @geopolitics
4. Almost all media fall in this trap, but: It's wrong to call #Puntland a "semiautonomous region". Puntland is *entirely* autonomous (self-governed/controlled), now not even cooperating with #Somalia federal govt. It says it's part of Somalia in principle, but that's about it.
#geography #defacto #geopolitics #MiddleEast #Africa #borders #politics
@washingtonpost #independence #autonomy @geography @geopolitics
Evan Centanni (PolGeoNow)