Sunday March 19, 2023
Las Anod (HOL) - A traditional elder of the SSC-Khatumo in Las Anod, Garaad Abdisalan Hassan, reported that 30 people died and 60 others were seriously injured during
Saturday's clash between the Somaliland army and the SSC-Khatumo forces. Hassan spoke to Brit TV in an interview on Sunday, stating that the number of deaths on their side resulted from a close combat battle on Saturday. He added that many more injured individuals would be transported to Garowe, Mogadishu, and other places for medical treatment.
The battle started on Saturday and lasted more than eight hours, during which both sides claimed to have taken prisoners, vehicles, and weapons. The SSC's 33-member committee spokesperson
accused Somaliland of killing prisoners of war captured during the conflict. In response, Somaliland accused "Puntland-led allied" forces of instigating the violence. However, the SSC elders denied this claim and stated that the Puntland administration was not actively participating in the conflict.
Mediation by the Ethiopian government between the parties has not yielded positive results thus far. The Dhulbahante clan's committee of 33 elders declared that they would only agree to a ceasefire and directly talk with the Somaliland government after it withdraws its troops from the Oog region.