Somalia: Puntland Commander Defects to Somaliland - Official

[The_Patriot]

Somalia: Puntland Commander Defects to Somaliland - Official

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Garowe Online (Garowe)

9 December 2007
Posted to the web 10 December 2007


A Puntland military officer and loyal soldiers defected to authorities in neighboring Somaliland, the separatist region's defense minister said Sunday.

Abdullahi Ali Ibrahim told reporters in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa that Col. Yusuf Quje and 30 soldiers armed with three battlewagons surrendered over to the Somaliland military stationed in Sool region.

Col. Quje was a Puntland commander in Sool until his defection, which was confirmed by Puntland government officials.

Politicians, military officers and soldiers commonly switch loyalties throughout Somalia. In Sool region, members of the local clan switch alliances between Somaliland and Puntland, depending on present conditions.

The defecting colonel "escaped with cash," according to Puntland government sources who spoke with Garowe Online.

The money Col. Quje escaped with was intended to be salary for troops under his command, the sources added.

Both the semiautonomous region of Puntland and the self-declared independent republic of Somaliland claim ownership over Sool region and fought several times over the unofficial border since 2002.

Somaliland troops took control of the Sool provincial capital Las Anod in October after battling Puntland soldiers, who later retreated eastward.



The separatist region of Somaliland has not been recognized internationally, although the region has an elected government and enjoys relative peace uncommon in most of Somalia.

But many people worry that Somaliland's armed takeover of Las Anod might ignite a clan war reminiscent of the 1990s civil war in south Somalia.

In other news, the Somaliland defense minister said a vehicle owned by a Puntland civilian was returned to its rightful owner after the robbers drove the vehicle into Somaliland territory.

[Phd in naago kudis]

cant blame him 8)

[Executive]

He was in the Somaliland army before.

[Phd in naago kudis]

[quote="Executive"]He was in the Somaliland army before.[/quote]

then somaliland should execute him for treason

[Adan*5]

wey waalanyihiin labadaba..Next week he will defect to puntland--again

[The_Emperior5]

wa dhulbahaante wa dawakhayn muse carre iyo muse abokor iyo muuse ismacil ayaa uu aabti aah

Dhulbahante na dee slaan arab ba dhalay , aabo ahaan na wa kuumbo

way dhawakhanin aabtiigi na awr buu ku kicsanaya tolkiii na xammar buu aaday tigray ba geell saaray mj geell aan laga dagayn