Rivals clash in northern Somalia, 15 killed 1 Oct 1, 2007 - 7:44:07 PM LAS ANOD, Somalia Oct 1 (Garowe Online) - Troops and clan militias supporting rival administrations in northern Somalia engaged in heavy battles Monday leading to at least 15 deaths on both sides, sources said. The fighting erupted this morning in an area 10km north of Las Anod, capital of the disputed Sool region. Battlewagons: Weapon of choice in Somalia Soldiers and clan militias allied to the breakaway region of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, fought against security forces from neighboring Puntland, a semiautonomous region in the country's northeast. Both Somaliland and Puntland claim rights over Sool and Sanaag regions for different reasons and have fought many times since 2002. Witnesses said Puntland forces were pushed back from their positions during the early hours of the battle. But Puntland troops gained armed reinforcements from Garowe, the region's capital, and were able to advance on Somaliland positions. An accident killed at least four Puntland soldiers inside Las Anod town when two armed trucks rushing to the frontline collided into each other at full speed, witnesses reported. More than 20 wounded people, mostly soldiers, were admitted to local hospitals for medical treatment. Earlier today, Pro-Puntland clan militias killed a Las Anod businessman named Jamal Ahmed Mohamed. Local sources said Jamal belonged to a pro-Somaliland area sub-clan. There was no official word from either the Puntland or Somaliland administration. But military commanders blamed the opposite side for sparking today's deadly battle. Many Las Anod residents have been fleeing the town over the past two days as the rival sides built up military forces along their frontier. The situation in Las Anod today was a mixture of confusion and a sense that no group was in control. A local journalist confirmed to Garowe Online that Somaliland troops and allied local clan fighters had effectively taken control of the northern checkpoint in Las Anod. Puntland troops and supporting militias had withdrawn to the southern part of town for defensive purposes, according to a commander in Garowe who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The latest reports indicate that both sides are getting soldiers and armored trucks from Garowe and Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland region. Residents fear the war will continue. Somalia's interim government, based in the south, is fighting for its survival in Mogadishu against a violent insurgency and is largely unable to influence developments in the north. Source: Garowe Online

Keep spinning all boy, your top may pop lool. Here is my spinn old boy lol By VOA News Tuesday, October 02, 2007 The breakaway republic of Somaliland says it has captured a disputed town after clashes with fighters from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region. Somaliland's defense minister said Tuesday that his fighters have captured the town of Los Anod and killed six fighters from Puntland. The defense minster says Somaliland fighters wounded 20 Puntland soldiers and took 24 others prisoner. The Associated Press quotes Puntland's deputy information minister as saying those claims are a "fabrication." On Monday, residents of northern Somalia reported at least five people had been killed in Los Anod in fighting between forces loyal to the rival regional governments. Puntland and Somaliand have engaged in periodic battles over which side controls the Sool and Sanag regions. Last week, officials from the United Nations, World Bank and other institutions working in Somalia expressed concern about rising tension between the sides. Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been internationally recognized. Puntland has maintained formal ties to Somalia but generally runs its own affairs. Both areas have remained relatively peaceful compared to the anarchy in southern Somalia since the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre 16 years ago. Some information for this report was provided by AP . Source: VOA, Oct 02, 2007

with allpuntland.com you sure got your facts straight huh looooool, please brother no more with the spin, like Bill O'riley says the Spinn stops here lool. local militias defect to PL like PL did not defect to Somaliland old boy. I wait to here from BBC to get my news. Like last time when you said we lost couple days ago it proved you were wrong.

WOOW, what a wishful dreaming you have all boy! lol

regardless, the TFG is to weak to be a dillema, what somaliland is doing is finally setting up its borders.

SOO MAAL, you just proved my point, under occupation, so i guess as unionist you belive people of somaliland are different outsiders, like the Iraqis call the americans occupiers or the Palestines call the Isrealis occupiers huh lool, your tribal thinking is out their. Even in a unted somalia you call for division lool, with people of SSC in your view wanting to stay with their own tribal kind huh Soo Maal. What here you have showen is the funtamental reason why somalia is lost and gone, if people cant expect to be together but rather apart in their own tribal world, then so be it, but please brother you out of all the people of SOL should not talk of Somali Unity from comments like "people of Sool,sanaag&Cayn don’t want to be part of so-called Somaliland “region”, just like how people of Hargeysa/Burco don’t want to be part of Darwiishland or Puntland". Some groups in SSC have choosen to join somaliland thats a fact you all must expect.

"Somaliland Times is unreliable source of news as it is very partisan for the division of the country" WOOW, You sound partisan Caamir with this comment looool.

You funny guy looool, SNM Gangland huh 1 Come up with Specific geographical territory- mm thats easy one. It is AWDAL, SAHIL, TOGDHEER, SANAAG, SOOL. 2.Nobody should dispute your claim for that territory-. Simple leagle experts point to the respect of old colonial borders, wich somaliland is under. The only disputes are within Eastern Sanaag and Sool, but i think minor changes can be done to resolve the issue which i will go over another time. 3. No internal fight- No internal fight expect for the issue with SOOL were puntland supports one side and somaliland the other. 4. Get O.K. from other stakeholders i.e. the somalis in the south- Thats so funny why would region that has not historical ties with south Somalia ask for thier permisson to leave, do you see Kosova asking Serbia to leave, and those to nations do have long historical ties i dont think so buddy.

"United with thier brethen" mmmmm what a comment from this SOL memeber sounds like more divison of each other. I know what you mean in this statement brotha and it only shows how somalis are tribal thinking. It is the people in Sool that are fighting, the thing is that they have support for either Somaliland or Puntland, so lets get this simple fact straight. The second thing is weak point of "ill-advised secession notion" stop bring this weak point over and over, because form this logic if Somaliland said it would stay in the Unoin then would the people of Sool have no issue of being under somaliland, I dont think so!

How can you spin a story thats under way Point, keep reading Pro-So and So and get your wishful think facts my boy, I will instead stick to hard facts on the ground which show this sad battle is just starting with no sides with the upper hand.

A sad day indeed.

Because we deal with facts, not wishful creative writing like we see here.

We will see.

lol

GO, Somaliland Go!

This is wrong, regardless if you are Pro-somaliand or Pro-Puntland this is a sad day because people will die.

Duke,you always make me laugh with most of your report coming from Puntland sites loool, i wait to hear it from International news like BBC, NPR, more honest sites. As people we have not yet put found a way to write things in honest un-bias way.

let democracy be on the move, we are a good example for the region were democracy is non-existing.

Nayruss were in the artilce does it say that Riyaale physically pulled his pants down infront of the Ethio Airlines cause other stories about what happened dont say that, which only tells me that you are taking an aspect that happened and changing it creating a new reality to it, i can say when Meles, meet Yusif he told him to bend over lool. But that would be a lie like your view point cause i am taking an apsect for somali news website and spinning it to fit me views like you are doing, like Bill O'reily says the Spin stops here old boy.

THats what i am talking about Somaliland is on the Democratic march lol.

Nayruus do you also belive that the U.S. government is hiding Alien space ships in Area 54 to loooool. What an mind you got brotha lool

Stop with the lies buddy lool

Me, again with opinions instead of facts join djubuti lool what a mind you got lool. That makes no sense when you say they dont want Somaliland bet yet want to separate and join djubuti lool woow.

Me, again with opinions instead of facts join djubuti lool what a mind you got lool.

Thanks for replying back. I now the auther is Somalilander and the sources you got it from is from Pro-Somalilander website. What i was pointing to was that it was opinion article in the website from that person point of view on situation in somaliland. I dont not thing using it as debate point to waterdown somaliland issue was correct on your point. What you were pointing and using to back your claim against somaliland is a simplistic view old boy. Like i said its easy to paint a small picture of something and claim it to be true. I am glad you expect achievements made by us Landers. For Caamir, dont have a uff and puff on the terms somalilanders and somali lol. Somali is my Ethnic identity but not my national one old boy. When i say somalilander i see it as an egyptian see themselves or as Moroccan classifies themselves. Case point in the Egyptians and Moroccans is that while they are ethnically Arab they call themselves in terms of their national identity not ethnic thus while i am somali ethnically my nationality is form somaliland thus i am somalilander get it. So your question what i prefer to be called old by is somalilander because thats the nation i represent ethnically you can call me somali lol