Puntland forces seized a key base belonging to the Puntland Security Force (PSF) in northern Galkayo, central Somalia, on Wednesday after launching a pre-dawn assault, marking the most significant military confrontation in the region in years and deepening the political and security divide between Puntland and Somalia’s federal government.
By midday, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni declared victory, announcing that government forces had taken full control of the base and dismantled what he described as an “illegal armed force” operating outside Puntland’s command structure.
“Today, 5 August, Puntland forces conducted a security operation in Galkayo, securing the military base that had been used for the wrong purposes,” Deni said in a recorded address from Garowe. “The base will now be used by Puntland security forces.”
The operation followed months of rising tensions over the presence of PSF fighters in Galkayo, a city divided between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south, where competing political and security interests have repeatedly brought the two administrations and the federal government into confrontation.
At least four killed, more than 100 captured
Journalists in Galkayo told Kaab TV that at least four people were killed during Wednesday’s fighting.
Puntland authorities later said they had captured 101 PSF personnel, including around 60 who were wounded, although officials said most injuries were not life-threatening.
Among those detained was the deputy commander of Somalia’s Joint Investigation Team (JIT), a specialized unit under the Somali Police Force. His capture has raised fresh concerns that federal security personnel are increasingly becoming involved in internal political and regional disputes instead of focusing on national security and counterterrorism operations.
Videos filmed inside the captured base showed Puntland soldiers celebrating after taking control of the compound.
“We are inside the PSF base. We seized their weapons. We will treat the men well. They are our relatives,” one soldier said.
Another warned fighters who remained loyal to the federal government: “This is what happens to those who misled you.”
Residents later entered the compound, with witnesses reporting civilians carrying away weapons, ammunition and other military equipment left behind after the fighting.
INSIDE PSF BASE #GALKAYO: Puntland soldiers speak to the camera after capturing PSF base.
Soldiers say: “We are in the PSF base. We seized their weapons. We will treat the men well. They are our relatives.”
Another says “We tell those who misguided you, this is what you will… pic.twitter.com/yPsaU3uhBE
— Kaab TV (@KaabTV) August 5, 2026
Fighting followed seizure of federal weapons convoy
The assault came less than 24 hours after another security incident in southern Galkayo.
On Tuesday afternoon, at least seven people were injured after clashes erupted between Galmudug security forces and local clan militias after two trucks carrying weapons—reportedly delivered by the federal government—entered the city.
Local militia fighters eventually seized both vehicles, further heightening tensions ahead of Wednesday’s operation.
The back-to-back incidents underscored the growing militarization of Galkayo, where Puntland authorities accused Mogadishu of using rival forces to pursue political objectives.
Following the operation, President Deni accused outgoing Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud—whose term ended in May—of attempting to undermine Puntland by supporting rival armed groups.
“We will not allow any armed force other than Puntland security forces to operate inside Puntland,” Deni said.
He warned all remaining armed groups to surrender immediately or face similar military action.
Deni also thanked neighbouring Galmudug for maintaining cooperation during the operation and said both administrations remained committed to preserving peace in the divided city.
Mudug Governor Abdiweli Jibriil Bayle echoed the president’s position, saying Puntland would never tolerate armed groups operating independently of state institutions and urging residents to cooperate with security forces.
“I urge the citizens to remain calm and be vigilant,” the governor added.
Somalia’s federal government had not issued an official statement by Wednesday evening.
The absence of any immediate response leaves unanswered questions about the future of the PSF personnel captured in the operation and whether Mogadishu intends to continue supporting forces opposed by Puntland.
Why the PSF has become a source of conflict
The Puntland Security Force was originally established in 2002 as an elite counterterrorism unit with extensive international support, particularly from the United States, to combat al-Qaeda-linked militants.
For years it operated largely outside Puntland’s regular security command under its own leadership.
After President Deni sought to bring the force fully under Puntland government control, divisions emerged within the PSF. Some commanders accepted integration, while others rejected the move, leading to an armed confrontation in Bosaso in late 2021.
Although a political settlement later reduced tensions, disagreements over command, funding and political loyalty never fully disappeared.
In recent months, Puntland officials have accused the federal government of rebuilding and financing rival PSF factions in Bosaso and Galkayo without the approval of the Puntland administration.
The dispute intensified after former PSF commander Gen. Asad Osman Diyano was appointed Commissioner of the Somali Police Force by the federal government.
Leadership of the remaining PSF forces then passed to his brother, Mohamud Osman Diyano, a move that Puntland says revived the long-running conflict over control of the force and reinforced its allegations that Mogadishu was backing parallel security structures inside the state.
Relations between Puntland and President Mohamud’s administration have steadily deteriorated over constitutional reforms, federal power-sharing and security policy.
Puntland officials allege that Mogadishu has supplied weapons, funding and logistical support to armed groups operating inside Puntland—including factions linked to the PSF—in an effort to weaken the regional administration and increase federal influence.
The federal government has consistently rejected accusations that it is attempting to destabilize Puntland, maintaining that its security assistance is intended to strengthen national institutions and combat terrorism.
However, repeated reports of federal weapons deliveries to contested areas, alongside the presence of federal security officers within locally aligned forces, have reinforced Puntland’s claims that Mogadishu is increasingly intervening in regional security affairs.
A conflict years in the making
Wednesday’s fighting is the latest chapter in a dispute that has simmered for nearly five years.
The first major confrontation erupted in December 2021 in Bosaso, Puntland’s main port city, after Puntland ordered the integration of the PSF into its official security forces. Heavy fighting killed and injured dozens before negotiations brought a fragile ceasefire.
Although open warfare subsided, political distrust continued.
Since then, Puntland has repeatedly accused the federal government of attempting to rebuild parallel security structures inside the state, while Mogadishu has sought to expand the presence of federal security agencies in Puntland.
The latest violence in Galkayo suggests that the underlying dispute has evolved beyond a disagreement over one security force into a broader struggle over who controls armed power in Somalia’s federal system.
The seizure of the PSF base comes at a particularly fragile moment for Somalia, where political divisions between the federal government and several regional administrations have deepened amid disputes over constitutional reforms, elections and security governance.
The capture of more than 100 fighters—including officers linked to federal security institutions—illustrates how increasingly blurred the lines have become between regional forces, federal agencies and politically aligned armed groups.
While Puntland says Wednesday’s operation was necessary to restore the state’s monopoly on the use of force, some analysts warn that repeated military confrontations between Somali security actors risk plunging the country deeper into clan-based conflict, further fragmenting its already fragile security architecture, and diverting personnel and resources away from the fight against Al-Shabaab.