The Ministry of Information of Puntland has denied the federal government’s claim that Somali army forces and their international partners killed 20 al-Shabab militants in an operation in Puntland.
On Monday, the Ministry stated that the federal government’s report is incorrect and emphasized that Puntland is capable of handling its own security. They also stressed that Puntland is committed to eliminating terrorist groups.
Somalia’s Deputy Minister of Information, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Addaala, told VOA Somali radio that the federal government had targeted al-Shabab leaders in an attack in Puntland. The federal government said that al-Shabab fighters, after being defeated in Galmudug and Hirshabelle, had regrouped in the mountains of eastern Puntland.
