Hiiraan Online
Saturday June 10, 2017
Mogadishu (HOL) - The President of Puntland, Abdiwali Mohamed Ali has condemned Thursday’s deadly attack on a military base in Af-Urur and urged the international community to support Puntland in their fight against Al-Shabaab.
"Al-Shabaab militants who attacked civilians and Puntland forces at Af Urur area committed a genocide. I commend Puntland forces for protecting their people and land from terrorists," he said.
Ali also instructed a committee to investigate the attack and the number of casualties.
Al-Shabaab has said that they killed 61 soldiers, a claim that has been widely dismissed by government officials.
Following the lead of Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Ali vowed revenge against the militant extremist group for the attack that killed more than 30 government soldiers. The bloody battle resulted in an overall death toll as high 70 on both sides.
"We call on the federal government of Somalia and the international partners to support us in the strong fight against Al-Shabaab. We are committed to remove the terrorists from our region and enough is enough," Ali said.
Puntland interior minister Abdi Hersi Ali said that the Islamist militants killed fasting civilians including elders before the attack at the base.
The assault began on Thursday with a blast at the Af-Urur base, 100km from the port city of Bosaso, shortly after heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants stormed the camp killing over 30 soldiers and leaving scores more injured.
