Somaliland: Army Flexes Muscles Few Kilometers Shy of Garowe

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units of the Somaliland army in the Sool region village of Buuro wadal 18 kms from Garowe town

By: Yusuf M Hasan
BUURO-WADAL (Somalilandsun) – Motorists and Residents in Tukoraq and Buuro-wadal centers of Sool region shall no longer be forced to pay money to armed thugs.

This development follows a successful flush out operation conducted by the Somaliland army in the two areas where armed militias formerly aligned to the now defunct Khatumo secessionist movement have been fleecing payment from residents and motorists in the guise of protection fees.
Buuro-wadal centre which is a few kilometers from Garowe the capital of Puntland, a Somalia administrative region has been put under full control of Somaliland authority having been a base for remnants of the defunct Khatumo.
After the Somaliland army dislodged the armed thugs others casualties of the flush-out operations included secessionist politicians among them claimant to the title of Khatumo minister of religious and Federalism affairs Mohamed Ali Artan.
According to a www.jamhuuriyamedia.net  report submitted by journalist Faisal Jama Aden, the secessionist politician who is in Goot-Gaboobe a small village 18 kms from Garowe, after escaping the army dragnet has termed the army operation as having succeeded due to an anti-Khatumo pact between Somaliland and Puntland.

A Tukorag elder with a Somaliland army unit
In lieu of existing animosity between the authorities in Hargeisa and the Mogadishu-Garowe duet, one cannot fail to grasp irony of the Khatumoist pact allegation more exacerbated by a threat against Somaliland motorists using roads beyond Las Anod town.
This intimidation, resulting from lose of income courtesy of the army flush-out operation, was issued by another senior secessionist politician Abshir Abdiaziz who said that “For any loaded lorries emanating from Bosaso and or Nugaal in Somalia passage will be allowed if they are flying the Khatumo flag and payment of taxes while those from Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera in Somaliland shall completely not be allowed beyond Las Anod town”
Khatumoist Abshir AbdiazizThough neither the Somaliland army nor Government has issued any statement on the operation it is no coincidence that the thugs flush out campaign a few kilometers from Garowe town comes a few days after the government in Hargeisa raised alarm over a 3000 strong Somalia special force geared borders with Somaliland.
Maybe this is just coincidental but the muscles flexing and display of might by the Somaliland army is well worth end result in the short and long terms as pertains the sustainability of prevalent cross-border security.