Saturday January 7, 2023
Las Anod (HOL) - Brigadier General Mahad Ambashe, commander of the Somaliland armed forces in the Sool area, has warned those he claims to seek to destabilize Las Anod, saying that the army will not leave the Sool region.
Ambashe added that the Somaliland military would continue to use force to maintain peace, law and order.
"As far as I can understand, the national army has not left (the region) and will not leave."
The Somaliland military
began withdrawing from Las Anod to the
town's outskirts on Thursday morning after killing dozens of protestors since demonstrators began protesting nearly two weeks ago.
He warned that if Las Anod descends into anarchy, the Somaliland soldiers will return to the town to protect life and property.
Ambashe said that Las Anod was under the administration of the Somaliland Army and that when Somaliland authorities first arrived in the area, there was little security and inter-clan violence.
He also apologized for the loss of life caused by the "rioting in Las Anod." However, he argued that the Somaliland military exercised restraint and that there could have been hundreds of casualties if it were "another army."
Muse Bihi Abdi, President of breakaway Somaliland, stated that his administration is dedicated to finding a solution to the anti-government rallies but warned the Somali
federal government and the
Puntland regional government
not to agitate the situation.