The SNM soon became active in the border area, supporting the isaaq clan in it's ongoing conflict with the ogaden clan. In october 1982, there was fierce fighting in the Gashaamo area. The war between the Isaaq-Garhajis-SNM and the Ogaden-WSLF involved violence against civilians, by both forces and on both sides of the border. At first, the abuses were almost entirely by WSLF, because it had a near-monoply on arms. Lorries were ambushed, traders stopped and robbed , houses looted, Animals stolen, Women raped and civilians killed. In early 1979, between Wajalle and Allabaday , two WSLF fighters raped a women, whose teenage brother then retaliated by shooting the fighters. The commander of WSLF unit then arrived and summarily executed the boy and two other family members. One SNM abuse occured in December 1981 when Isaaq-Garhajis fighters stopped a truck at Dhaberooble, between Werder and Degahabur and killed six WSLF fighters and 13 civilians, all members of the Ogaden clan. Clashes between the fronts were intense during late 1982 and 1983. The SNM succeded in cutting the WSLF off from its rear bases in Northern Somalia. This was a fatal blow to the WSLF, which never recovered. There was a final round of fighting in December 1984-january 1985, but by this time the WSLF was effectively finished.
