HARGEISA (Somaliguardian) – Heavy gunfight broke out overnight in the town of Lasanod in the eastern Sool region of the break-away state of Somaliland after armed rebel fighters stormed military and police camps on Wednesday.
It is the latest flare-up in the town racked by tensions over Somaliland’s control of the region and other areas in Sanaag region, which are claimed by rebel groups that identified themselves as members of Khatumo State.
Lasanod is located about 540km east of the break-away state’s capital, Hargeisa and has been under the control of Somaliland for more than a decade.
Rebel fighters and local forces exchanged heavy gunfire that lasted for hours on Wednesday night before the assailants retreated to areas outside the town, according to residents.
Casualties on both Somaliland troops and the attackers have not been immediately known and there were no reports of civilian casualties.
The attack comes weeks after Somaliland police carried out a forceful eviction of thousands of refugees, who had earlier fled from regions in south Somalia, from the Lasanod, citing security concerns following a string of assassinations that claimed the lives of a number of local officials.
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