By: Yusuf M Hasan
Somalilandsun – “A man who lives by the sword is also ready to die by the same sword”
This was said by the Somaliland interior minister Ali Mohamed Waran’ade in a statement released from his Hargeisa offices in which he stated that his government’s position on the death of Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was similarly to that of the rest of the international community.
“Godane was a leader of a terrorist organization whose activities were detrimental to the security wellbeing of this country” said Waran’ade
Godane a Somalilander citizen who died from an alleged US drone strike in the Somalia town of Barawe was leader of Al-Shabaab an Islamist organization battling the Somalia government and AMISOM troops for control of the war torn country neighbouring Somaliland to the South.
While Terming the death of any Muslim through violence as unfortunate the interior minister who said Godane died by the same sword he lived with also urged Somalilanders to enhance their vigilance against infiltrations by persons with terrorist links.
During his brutal reign over Al-Shabaab that saw the Al-Qaida allied group establish a strict Islamic form of government over the large swath of territory it controls in Somalia many people wrongly associated the absence of terror attacks by the organization in Somaliland on the birth origin of Godane.
Though this argument is to be put to the test now that Ahmed Abu Abeida a Southern Somali is now the top honcho having been named to replace the late Godane it is worth mentioning that the deceased terrorist commander once asked on reasons behind none Somaliland attacks said,
“Infiltrating Somaliland is very difficult owing to the fact that the administration of former president Dahir Rayale Kahin, a highly trained spy, recruited all citizens as informers”
Despite the alleged difficulty Al-|Shabaab managed to infiltrate the security mesh established in Somaliland when it effected very strategic attacks in which the Presidency, UNDP offices and Ethiopian Consulate in Hargeisa saw a number of deaths and destruction in October 2008.
According to Yey Ali Yusuf, a local political analyst Al-Shabaab has been so busy trying to counter concentrated attacks fronted by AMISOM an over 20,000 international force assembled by the AU thence unable to stretch terror tentacles further not to mention internal putsch’s for control.
