The road from Garowe, the capital of Puntland statelet in northern Somalia, to the port of Bosaso runs through territory occupied by two of the world’s most notorious jihadist groups (see map). In the remote mountains to the east is an outpost of Islamic State (IS). To the west is al-Shabab, al-Qaeda’s richest and most lethal affiliate. For the past eight months local forces from Puntland, backed with air strikes by America and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been waging an all-out war against IS. A similar offensive against al-Shabab may begin soon.