Government Troops and Civilian Volunteers Battle Islamic Militants in Puntland

Insurgent fighters allied with al-Shabab are the target of government forces in the Puntland region of northeastern Somalia.

Officials in Puntland said that at least 18 militants and 3 government soldiers were killed Sunday in fierce fighting in mountain villages along the northern coast, near the port town of Boosaaso. Hundreds of government troops, along with dozens of armed civilians who volunteered to join the fight, stormed the rebel-controlled villages, Puntland officials said.

The firefight — the second in two weeks — began early and subsided by nightfall, officials said, adding that militants had been pushed deeper into the mountains by Monday morning.

Although Puntland is home to pirates and human-trafficking groups, it has also been largely insulated from the warfare that has ravaged Somalia in recent years, making it a relative haven for aid groups. But a recently announced alliance between an insurgent commander and Shabab militants has raised fears that militants could destabilize the region.

The warlord, Sheik Mohamed Said Atom, said last month that he would fight the Puntland government until it agreed to impose strict Islamic law.

Mr. Atom also declared that “we are members of the Shabab,” conservative Islamists who control much of southern Somalia and claimed responsibility for deadly bombings in Uganda in July.

By: Shelldrake