Despite regional and international appeals for a cease-fire, Somaliland forces reportedly blasted a neighbourhood in the battle-torn town of Laas’anod early Saturday. According to local sources, shelling destroyed structures in SSC-controlled regions. The Sool Sanaan and Cayn (SSC) faction, which is mostly made up of the Dhulbahante clan and is associated with Puntland, opposes the Somaliland administration in the area.
Since February 6, fighting has raged in the disputed city of Las Anod between militants from the Dhulbahante clan in northern Somalia and forces from the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland. In northeastern Somalia, the city, also known as Laascaanood, is located between the semi-autonomous provinces of Puntland and Somaliland.
The city is a point of contention between the two regions.
According to data acquired from Las Anod hospitals, 299 people have died, 1,913 have been injured, and more than 200,000 have been displaced since the violence began. Somaliland’s soldiers have retreated around 50 kilometres (31 miles) west of Tukaraq to military posts on the outskirts of Las Anod, purportedly intending to launch strikes from there.