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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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    As the war in Las Anod enters its third week, heavy skirmishes continue.

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    Intense clashes were reported on Monday morning in the Diyaarada region, which is located 20 kilometers east of the town, following 20 days of nonstop violent fighting in Las Anod.

    After losing control of Tukaraq on Sunday, the Somaliland army relocated to a new post in the Diyaarada region. Armed forces on the other side of the city have been added to the Somaliland army.

    Forces from SSC-Khatumo entered the area on Sunday but withdrew late last night. On the outskirts of Las Anod town on Saturday, SSC-Khatumo forces seized military equipment, including tanks, armored vehicles, and other weapons. They also took control of an army base.

    The conflict took place at the Guul Wade military camp, the base of the Somaliland military officer Mahad Cambaashe’s supporters. Cambaashe recently claimed to have defected from Somaliland but a few days later refused to turn over his army and weapons to the SSC administration.

    On Sunday, the Somaliland administration said that the Puntland State semi-autonomous territory and the federal government of Somalia had attacked its army bases in Las Anod town. The authorities of Somaliland claimed that they had no choice but to defend their country and citizens. They vehemently denounced the aggression and were resolved to defend their independence.

    Federal Minister of Interior Ahmed Moalim Fiqi repeated the government’s position on the violence in Las Anod, saying that it should end right away and Somaliland should withdraw its troops from the city in his remarks at a gathering in Mogadishu on Sunday.

    “The Somalia government expresses regret over the ongoing bloodshed in Las Anod and requests that Somaliland remove its military from the area. Somalia has made it plain that it wants the war to end and the forces to leave the town “said Ahmed Macalin Fiqi, the interior minister of Somalia.

    Abdirisaaq Khalif Ahmed, the speaker of the Somaliland parliament, has accused President Muse Bihi of impeding all efforts to restore peace to Las Anod. The Speaker claimed that the government’s assertion that it was battling terrorist organizations in Las Anod had gotten out of hand and that it was acting offensively.

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that since February 6, battles between security forces and clan chiefs in Las Anod, northern Somalia, have resulted in 150 fatalities and more than 600 injuries. For the previous three weeks, hospitals in the vicinity have also been randomly bombed.

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