HARGEISA (Kaab TV) – Somaliland intelligence has captured Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Adan “Ciraaqi,” the commander of Somalia’s 18th Gorgor Battalion, who had been secretly staying in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali Region.
Ciraaqi, who led Somali Federal Government troops in the December 2024 attack on Raaskaambooni in Jubaland, was confirmed to have left Jigjiga en route to Wajaale, a town on the Somaliland–Ethiopia border.
He was reportedly apprehended in Wajaale by Somaliland intelligence agents and transferred to Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital.
Ciraaqi had commanded Somali government forces sent to Raaskaambooni, where Jubaland troops overpowered them.
He and his soldiers fled into Kenya. Images circulated on Kenyan security social media channels showed Somali troops—including members of the Turkish-trained Gorgor forces and Haramcad police—raising their hands and surrendering to Kenyan authorities.
Kenya later stated that over 1,250 Somali soldiers surrendered, according to local media reports.
The battle between Jubaland and the Somali Federal Government in Raaskaambooni caused heavy casualties, with Jubaland forces also capturing hundreds of Somali government soldiers before eventually sending them back to Mogadishu.
Abuses against civilians
Jubaland authorities accused Ciraaqi and his forces of committing wider violations during their short-lived occupation of Raaskaambooni, including looting, sexual violence, and extortion against the civilian population of the small coastal village.
Surviving Gorgor soldiers who returned to Mogadishu reportedly faced severe neglect and harsh living conditions.
Some deserted, with a number joining the armed forces of Somalia’s federal member states, while others fled the country.
Commander Hassan Ciraaqi himself was unable to cope with life in Mogadishu. He abandoned his post and traveled to Ethiopia, secretly joining relatives in Jigjiga, where he was originally from as a native of Ethiopia’s Somali Region.
It remains unclear why he later traveled toward Somaliland, specifically to Wajaale, where he was captured.
Somaliland has previously accused Somalia of deploying troops into the disputed regions of Las Anod and Sanaag, where insecurity and violent unrest have persisted in recent years.
During the 2023 Las Anod conflict, Somaliland alleged that Somali Federal Government forces—particularly units from the Turkish-trained Gorgor battalion—took part in the fighting.
Neither Somaliland nor Somalia has yet issued an official statement on the arrest of Commander Hassan Ciraaqi.