A leading security and intelligence expert says militants allied with Islamic State chose Qandala because the small fishing port is just a few hours from the coast of Yemen.
A former director of the Puntland Intelligence Agency, Abdi Hassan Hussein, says there was “strategic planning behind the capture.”
“They constantly receive experts or trainers from Yemen, and shipments of weapons and other materiel. This is why they selected that strategic area,” Hussein said.
“It’s tough to reach by land, it’s a mountainous area, and it’s not suitable to drive there,” the intelligence expert added. “Sheikh Mumin’s tribe lives in that area, and they may get more support from the clan. Proclaiming that he wants to establish an Islamic region in the whole of Africa may get him some sympathizers or supporters.”
Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin is the leader of the pro-IS group that captured the town. Last month the United States designated him as a global terrorist. A year ago Mumin pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.