Somali region of Puntland begins drilling for oil

(AP)  NAIROBI, Kenya — Africa Oil says it has begun drilling for oil in Somalia’s semiautonomous northern region of Puntland.

A Tuesday statement says the company is drilling a well in the Dharor Valley and will shortly begin drilling another one in the Nugal Valley, both in south-central Puntland. The statement says the two regions are part of a geological system that has already produced oil in Yemen.

It should take about three months to complete the two wells.

The statement says the two wells are the first wells to be drilled in 20 years in war-ravaged Somalia, which has not had a stable government for 21 years.