Somalia: Puntland ‘doesn’t need’ AMISOM troops on its soil

Somalia’s autonomous state of Puntland has strongly said that it doesn’t need the African Union peacekeepers known as AMISOM on its soil to deal with the growing insecurity in the region in recent months.
Puntland cabinet members held a meeting on Wednesday in the state’s capital Garowe to discuss on issues related to security and dismissed reports saying that AMISOM troops will be deployed in the region.
A Press statement released after the meeting said that Puntland is capable enough of handling the security situation in its territories.
‘’ There is no need for AMISOM or any foreign troops in our region,’’ said the Minister of Security, Hassan Alore while addressing local media.
AMISOM, which was established by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council in January 2007, operates in Somalia’s Southern territories, assisting the federal government in fight against the al-Qaeda-linked extremists.
In recent months, al-Shabaab has intensified attacks in the stable region mainly on the commercial hub port town of Bossaso. Last month, a suicide bomber exploded himself on a van ferrying UNICEF staff members, killing four foreign nationals.
An anti-al Shabaab Conference kicked off in Garowe two days ago, where high ranking officials from the administration, Muslim clerics, Intellectuals, Security officers, local elders and representatives from the civil society groups are discussing to form a strategy to defeat the group.
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