Somalia: Fresh fighting erupts in Somaliland-Puntland disputed region

(SomaliNet) Fighting has renewed in the disputed region of Sool in northern Somalia between troops loyal to the rival authorities of Somaliland and Puntland on Sunday. The clashes happened in Dhamasa village, 80km north of Laasanood city, the provincial capital of Sool when the Puntland forces attacked positions of the Somaliland troops, sources say.

There is no immediate casualty resulted from the latest gun battle.

The authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland accused the break away republic of Somaliland of starting the fighting.

The Puntland officials said its government would not tolerate the offensive from the Somaliland troops “We have killed several soldiers and captured number battle-wagons from Somaliland in the Laasanood fighting,” the adviser of the information minister of Puntland Bile Qabowsade said.

While, the Somaliland authorities in Laasanood said their forces killed and wounded several soldiers and also captured war vehicles in the fighting.

But no independent reports confirming the claims of both rival sides.

The latest fighting came as the Somali’s president recently said in Baidoa, the base of the transitional federal parliament that if the Somaliland troops would not withdraw from Laasanood it would result war with bad consequence.

On October, 2006, forces loyal to Somaliland authority took control of Laasaanood city from the Puntland troops.

Source: Somalinet