MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Northeastern Somalia’s Puntland Darwish forces said they captured eight members of the Puntland Security Force (PSF) and seized multiple armed technical vehicles after clashes near the commercial port city of Bosaso on Monday, marking the latest escalation in months of mounting tensions between Puntland and Somalia’s federal government that many fear could evolve into a wider armed confrontation.
Wararka Soomaaliya
The fighting erupted after Puntland Darwish forces ambushed PSF convoy in the mountainous Laag area on the outskirts of Bosaso. The confrontation escalated into an exchange of fire before regional security forces, reinforced by additional troops, surrounded the PSF fighters, according to Puntland officials.
Facing superior numbers, the PSF elements reportedly withdrew overnight on foot through the mountainous terrain, abandoning the technical vehicles they had been using during the fighting.
Puntland officials told local media that regional forces captured eight PSF members, some of whom sustained injuries during Monday’s clashes. Officials also said all of the technical military vehicles left behind by the withdrawing force are now under Puntland’s control.
Faahfaahinta
The PSF, previously trained and supported by the United States for counterterrorism operations in Puntland, has spent the past five years at odds with the administration of Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni while increasingly aligning itself with Somalia’s federal government. Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi recently stated that the PSF forms part of Somalia’s federal government forces.
Monday’s confrontation comes amid steadily worsening relations between Puntland and the federal government, with a series of political and security measures significantly raising tensions across the region.
Regional authorities recently prohibited federal government forces operating in Puntland from moving between the region’s major towns and cities and established heavily manned security checkpoints to monitor and restrict their movements. Puntland has also barred federal government officials from entering the region, including those originating from Puntland, and prohibited federal military recruitment within the state.
Saamaynta
The standoff intensified further after Puntland blocked General Jimaale Takar from entering the region. Takar had recently been appointed by the federal government as the top military commander for Somalia’s northern regions and attempted to return after travelling to Mogadishu for meetings with senior federal leaders and defence ministry officials.
Monday’s clashes underscore the increasingly fragile security environment in Puntland, where political disputes between the regional administration and Somalia’s federal government have increasingly taken on a military dimension.
It remains unclear how the PSF and other federal government forces operating in Puntland will respond following Monday’s confrontation, in which Puntland authorities say they secured battlefield control, captured personnel and seized military equipment. Whether the latest fighting proves to be an isolated incident or signals a broader escalation between Puntland and federal-aligned forces remains uncertain.
Wararka.so waxay kuu soo tebineysaa wararka ugu dambeeyey ee Soomaaliya iyo caalamka. Si aad ula socoto wararkii ugu dambeeyey, booqo boggayaga.
