Lasanod, Somalia: Somaliland Forces continued their back to back assault on Friday and Saturday; as part of their 57th attempt to battle their way into the strategic city of Lasanod. It has been almost 3 months since the people of lasanod agreed to join the Federal Government of Somalia_ declaring their pro Union position. However, Seccessionist Somaliland forces responded with unprecended use of force, killing hundreds of residents in Sool, Sanaag and Cayn region. At around 5:30 am, Friday, Locals witnessed their heaviest number of indiscrimate shelling on civilian populations, killing several people and destroying large number of houses and businesses. This Friday was also bloody for one particular family in the north eastern city of lasanod, in the SSC-khatumo region of Somalia. 20 year old Fadumo Yusuf Cawl is seen in the live facebook stream below, searching for cover as the deafening sounds of the mortars hit her house. Fadumo [RIP] would later die as part of the barbaric bombardment of somaliland forces. Additionally, another young female was shot dead by the military rescue teams of SL militia as they crossed the small town of Adhicadeye, located about 33 kilometres from Lasanod.
Meanwhile, the US government issued their strongest message to SL to “distance” their army from SSC region and urged Muse Bihi to call for immediate Elections in Somaliland. However, Bihi’s Militia seems to defy calls for dialogue and peaceful negotiations to the conflict; International community, The UN Security Council, the Ethiopian government and even the FGS’s diverse Somali traditional leader’s efforts were unsuccessful so far.
Fast forward to Saturday and it was one of the fiercest clashes as part of Somaliland forces’ proclamation to wage a “professionally planned military strategy ” to take-over lasanod; Attacking from three fronts _the Maraaga Eastern water basin, the Northern Mountain and the Western corridor. Despite more than 12 hours of heavy gunfire exchange and mortar attacks by Somaliland, reports indicate that over 100 Somaliland forces lost their lives including at least four high ranking military commanders. About a dozen locals were also killed in Saturday’s bloody battle while several prisoners were also captured by both sides. With the destruction of city infrastructre such as the Water treatment facility, Mosques, and Hosptitals, It is not clear when Somaliland forces, currently holed up in the Goga-cadde millitary base, would stop their ethnic cleansing campaign and illegal war crimes against the local residents of Lasanod.
