Al-Shabab militants have moved north to semi-autonomous Puntland after being pushed out of central Somalia, Puntland President Abdirahman Farole says.
They are there to strengthen ties with al-Qaeda in Yemen, which lies a short distance across the sea, he told the BBC.
Al-Shabab, hardline Islamists, merged with al-Qaeda in February.
They are under pressure on a number of military fronts in the south of Somalia - but still mount frequent attacks.
The leader of Puntland says al-Shabab fighters and commanders have been arriving over the past few days.
Security threat
The president says they are gathering in Puntland's Galgala mountains and the Golis range that borders the self-declared republic of Somaliland.
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