Puntland President Dr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has dismissed reports that have been circulating over the past few days saying that troops from the African Union will be deployed to the semi-autonomous state of Somalia.
Mr Ali said that his recent Interview with Reuters news agency was misinterpreted and clarified that Puntland has ‘enough’ troops to combat terrorism and secure its regions.
In his interview with Reuters, he called for AMISOM to assist his administration to secure its borders with the Southern part of the country, ahead of a planned anti al-Shabab offensive.
‘’ We (Puntland) have enough forces to look after our security… but because AMISOM’s mandate is all over Somalia we should be supported logistically in our combat against al-Shabab, who will definitely flow to Puntland after being defeated in the South,’’ he said in an interview with the BBC Somali Service.
Puntland government is currently planning to heighten its security, but has blamed the International Community for not supporting its battle with the al-Qaeda linked group.
Al-Shabab militants have been seeking for refuge in Galgala mountain ranges since they were defeated in Southern Somalia by AU troops and Somali army in 2012.
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