Laasaanood (Kaab TV) – Somaliland forces today bombed parts of Laascaanood town in the Sool region, as the Somaliland military say they are preparing for a major offensive battle to drive the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) forces out of the city.
According to local residents, the Somaliland forces hit positions of SSC forces on the outskirts of Laascaanood with artillery, and then the local forces responded.
Direct fighting then erupted on the outskirts of the city, according to the few reporters remaining in the city.
Casualties are not yet known. However, the local security sources are saying the situation remains tense.
Earlier in the week the SSC forces said they have seized all parts of the city as they were heading towards the Somaliland military in Gooja Adde camp. Fierce gun battle was reported from the area during the week.
Efforts to calm the tension have failed, and both sides have refused to head to the peace calls.
The fighting in Laascaanod has entered its third month in a row and has resulted in the death of hundreds of people and the injury of more than a thousand people, mostly civilians.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has said more than 83,000 civilians fled the violence in Somalia’s northern town of Laascaanod in February and arrived in Ethiopia’s Somali state.