LASANOD [SMN] – Heavy fighting broke out early on Tuesday morning in Samakab and DhabanSaar locations in the contested Sool region, north of Somalia.
The key areas which lie east of Lasanod saw a gunfight between SSC fighters and the Somaliland Army, who lost ground since the uprising started in December last year.
Today’s fighting continued for about an hour, with Somaliland troops focusing on pushing the local SSC forces away from the long road, which is an important route for supplies.
There are reports of casualties on both sides battling on the outskirts of the Gojacade command base, which houses Somaliland forces, according to the residents.
The president of Somaliland Muse Bihi is in Burco, expecting to reach OOG town in the Sool region today, which is a short distance from the areas where the fighting erupted today.
More than 200 people have been killed and thousands fled from their houses since the LasAnod battle began. Somaliland wants to regain control of the city from the SSC.
The main Las Anod Hospital has suffered the most with virtually all the departments destroyed by shelling from Somaliland forces, per the local officials.
The U.N. Security Council last February called for a de-escalation of violence in Las Anod, adding to similar calls from the federal government in Mogadishu. Those calls have gone unheeded as both sides continued exchanging heavy fire.
