[3] It was aimed at re-gaining control of the Galgala hills,[10] which had fallen in hands of al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom and his militia.

[4][6] Mohamed Said known as Atom has been involved in smuggling arms from Puntland to al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia[1] and has been implicated in incidents of piracy, kidnapping, and terrorism.

"[14] On 17 March 2014, the commander of the Puntland Security Forces in Galgala Colonel Jama Said Warsame "Afguduud" was assassinated in the afternoon in a bomb attack at the outskirts of Bosaso.

[17] According to Abdiweli Hirsi Abdille, the information minister of Puntland, troops had captured the Galgala region in an early morning offensive.

[18] On 3 October 2014, the Puntland government released a statement accusing Al-Shabaab of having destroyed agricultural communities in Galgala and nearby settlements including historic farms resulting in Internally Displaced People.