Hiiraan Online
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Reports reaching from the city of Bosasso, the commercial capital of the semiautonomous Somali state of Puntland indicate that gunmen loyal to former president Abdirahman Farole have stolen heavy weapons and ammunitions from the presidential building on Friday.
Reliable sources in the city told HOL that former president’s body guards have taken with them a very large amount of weapons including machineguns, anti aircrafts and huge boxes of ammunitions.
In another incident, unidentified soldiers thought to be members of the presidential guards have broken into a large store in the same building where they reportedly stole an uncountable number of small arms and ammunitions.
Meanwhile, at least two soldiers were wounded after armed confrontations broke out between rival groups belonging to the presidential guard unit according to residents and eye witnesses who were reached for comment by HOL on Friday.
After the incident, some heavily armed soldiers from the Puntland Intelligence Service ‘PIS’ have cordoned off the whole area and took over the control of the presidential building and surrounding neighbourhoods.
The recent presidential election in Puntland took place in a smooth and democratic manner and as a result the international community hugely lauded for the peaceful changes in the Puntland state of Somalia, but this incident might have caused a backfire on the beginning of the new era in Puntland.
Hiiraan Online English News Desk