TFG vs. Somaliland Showdown in Disputed Sool Region

[Jacaylbaro]

In early 2005, as soon as Abdullahi Yussuf was parachuted into the presidential seat in Baidabo,Somalia, defeating the Islamic Court Union ICU and warlords in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, seemed to be in his priority. However, the Mogadishu battle was just a smokescreen to hide his real motive. The ultimate fight! From the get go, a showdown between the Transitional ?Federal? Government of Somalia TFG and Somaliland seemed inevitable. And no sooner has Mr. Yussuf barely quelled his opponents in Mogadishu, of course while he hid behind the Ethiopian tanks, than he has daringly attempted to expand his authority into Somaliland territory. No time wasted! But who is going to fight for him this time?

 

 

 

Recently, Mr. Yussuf not only opened an immigration office which would soon issue Somali passports and traveling documents to travelers, in Laasannod (the provincial capital of the disputed Sool region, in Somaliland), but he also sent thousands of the TFG troops stationed in central Somalia to Sool in order to test Somaliland?s strength. As a result, although rarely reported by the media, a showdown between Somaliland and the TFG troops has been looming on the horizon for past few months. So as the battle fields grow so are the minefields. Thousands of troops from both sides with their deadly weapons flooded the region.

 

 

 

 

 

An interview with widhwidhonline radio (a pro-TFG radio), a Puntland frontline commander even confirmed the TFG forces have been fighting along

Puntland's in Sool region. The commander states, The Darawhish (Puntland militias) and the TFG forces are battling against Somaliland troops.? Also, according to radiowidhwidh, "Heavily armed TFG forces from the central regions of Somalia have been pouring into the battle fields in Sool and fighting against Somaliland troops." Furthermore, wardheernews website also reported the influx of the TFG troops pouring into Sool region. Additionally, a Puntland website reports, "The fight between Somaliland and Puntland troops has been the heaviest yet." What is going on? If Puntland forces were supposedly spread throughout Southern Somalia to protect Mr.Yussuf?a former warlord of Puntland and now the president wannabe of Somalia?then the mind-boggling question is: where did these new and heavily armed troops come from?

 

 

 

During the Mogadishu massacre in which over 2000 citizens were slaughtered by the brutal Ethiopian troops, Gen. Adde Musse, the current president of Puntland, signed an agreement with Mr. Yussuf in the battered capital. And despite the chaos and mass

civilian killings in the city, for Abdullahi Yussuf and for Gen. Adde Musse (cousins of shame) it was business as usual. Nothing to worry about! In this agreement, the entire Puntland forces would operate under the TFG?s scrutiny, but if need be these forces

would be deployed to the battle fields in the disputed regions of Sool and Eastern Sanag.

 

 

 

So, in April, 2007 when Somaliland and Puntland forces were locked into a deadly battle for control of Dhahar, a small town in Eastern Sanag region, the Prime Minster of Somalia, Mr. Geedi, quickly flew to Bosaso, the capital of Puntland, and not only expressed his unequivocal support for Puntland but also, as reinforcement, he deployed a fresh batch of the TFG troops from Mogadishu to Puntland. And once again, in light of Sool crisis, the TFG deployed thousands of heavily armed forces to another prone-conflict area?Laasanod, the provincial capital of Sool. So in essence, the TFG and Puntland forces are one and the same. These forces are led by Mr. Yussuf who, in the first place, invaded Sool region in 2003, and Gen. Adde Musse who is now left to carry the

legacy of Mr. Yussuf. Surely enough, these forces received much needed training and weapons, so war will inevitably engulf the region soon.

 

 

 

Much of the training provided for Puntland militias disguised as the new Somali National Army SNA was based on clan loyalty. In the heat of battle and clan politics loyalty is crucial, so is the U.S. support. Since the ill-conceived U.S. sponsored plan to lift

the UN arms embargo imposed on Somalia succeeded, the new SNA (predominantly former Puntland militias) received lots of weapons from Ethiopia, Yemen and other players. Having much needed logistics, i.e. superior military machines and the backing of International funding, these heavily equipped but barley disciplined and remotely motivated SNA or TFG forces finally gained some confidence to attack Somaliland forces which they previously considered a formidable army.

 

On the other hand, Somaliland has had its arms tied behind its back. The arms embargo is still imposed on it, however; it luckily lost few soldiers for the past 17 years, and its field commanders are mainly from former SNA forces of during Gen. Siad Barre?s era. (By the way, the rest of the former SNA commanders in Mogadishu were assassinated one by one before the invasion of Ethiopia. No wonders there!) Without a doubt, the Somaliland Army is highly disciplined and well trained. Not to mention, the army maintains a high moral standards consistently. But the unfair arms embargo against Somaliland as well as the absence of millions of dollars from the so-called International community would compel the troops to fight their hands tied behind their back. Nonetheless, make no mistake?as history attests, they would pose to be a formidable army. Now another question comes to mind: who instigated the latest fight in Sool?

 

 

 

Though the latest flare-up in Sool was the result of two opposing local militias from Sool region as reported by the BBC, nonetheless, Puntland and TFG regimes sought this conflict as an opportunity to distort the reality on the ground and to test Somaliland?s defense capability. As part of Mr. Yussuf and Gen. Adde Musse?s grand strategy, while the Ethiopian forces quell the upraising against the TFG and the occupation itself, the TFG forces would continue provoking Somaliland, at the same time the terrorist card would be played exhaustively to draw the attention of gullible Americans.

 

 

 

Shamelessly, the TFG and Puntland have over-played the terrorist card. (Surely, by now George Bush is saying, "Hell with your terrorist crap, it never works"). During the battled between Somaliland and Puntland forces, in Dhahar, Eastren Sanag, Mr. Geedi, while in

Bosaso, accused Somaliland of harboring terrorists and attacking Puntland. He states, "The conflict in Dhahar is the work of the terrorists "the Islamic Court Union and Somaliland forces who want to destabilize Puntland and the TFG.? As part of his rescue efforts, Mr. Geedi is once again in Puntland to prop up support for the war in Sool region where he is expected to spit out nails and label Somaliland as a safe heaven for terrorists. Maybe out of either pure frustration or sheer ignorance, Mr. Geedi "a die-hard Ethiopian stooge" reflexively tantamount everything, including bird droppings, to an act of terrorism.

 

Also, in these latest fights, Puntland quickly accused the Somali Liberation group whom both the TFG and the Puntland authorities consider a terrorist group formed in Eritrea and Somaliland of attacking Sool region. Ever wonder if the TFG' Puntland quisling leaders would give up their terrorist crap. It is all about: terrorists! terrorists! terrorists! But no vision! Sadly enough, with their spectacular belly-dances they shamelessly continue entertaining the U.S. and voluntarily keep recycling its regurgitated vomit-worthy propaganda of war on ghost terrorists.

 

Finally, despite enjoying the International backing, the TFG is obviously commiting suicide by attacking Somaliland. But Hargaisa (Somaliland capital) won't give up an inch of its territory, nor will it budge on its quest for International recognition.

 

Paradoxically, in its efforts to promote democracy and to fight against terrorism, the International community inadvertently continues to destabilize Somaliland not only for withholding its recognition but also by providing arms and resources to the TFG.

 

 

 

Clearly, the majority of the TFG forces are former Puntland militias because Gen. Adde himself singed an agreement, which placed the entire Puntland militias under the TFG's command, with Mr. Yussuf. Now these combined forces (former Puntland militias and TFG?s non-Puntland forces) are used as a bulwark against Somaliland forces. So, it does not require a rocket scientist to figure out the thousands of heavily armed forces from the central region of Somalia that have been pouring into Sool region, as reported by various sources, belong to the TFG. Undoubtedly, the presence of the TFG troops in Sool and opening an immigration office in Laasanod confirms the TFG ultimate goal?creating chaos in Somaliland.

 

Interestingly enough, no immigration offices has been opened in Bossaso or in Garowe (major Putland cities), but opening one in the heart of a conflict-prone area like Laasanod seemed more appealing to the TFG. That is, provoking and destabilizing Somaliland is in the TFG?s top priority list.

 

As for Mr. Geedi?s poorly rehearsed terrorism propaganda, from the start, he voluntarily jumped on the bandwagon of war on imagined ?terrorists? (but he evidently landed on the wrong side) and desperately attempted to ingratiate with the U.S. He constantly screams so loud and shrill?the typical crying wolf. But his pathetic transparent lies and shameless fear-mongering tactics now made him more of a nuisance than an alliance.

 

 

Jimma Times

[ANWAR]

good move by THE PRESIDENT OF SOMALIA

[SomaliThinker]

You mean bad move, this leaves the South open for further attack, the TFG are in catch 22 were if they let their troops out of the south to face somaliland they are open to loose the South to the ICU, and have a prolong war in the north which is not in the interst of USA, Ethiopia or the U.N.