Somaliland Puts Armed Forces Chief Operations Commander under House Arrest
Hargeisa, 28 Jan 2014 (SDN) –Following alleged lengthily dispute with Somaliland armed forces chief of staff General Ismail Shaqale, Vice-President and acting President Abdirahman Abdilahi Ismail ‘Sayli’ has directed that Brigadier Abdilahi Haji Jama known as ‘Aalas’, the chief operations commander of the armed forces be put under house arrest, sources close to the armed forces confirm.
Neither the presidency nor the armed forces headquarters released official statement released regarding the reported house arrest of the chief operations commander of the armed forces.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Alasow has confirmed his detention through a telephone interview with ramaasnews website. Brigadier Alasow also denied knowledge of circumstances that led to the order of his house arrest.
While not worthy of mentioning that the operations commander is a resident of Sool region it is the worthy of informing that in the recent past a substantial number of army officers from his clan and based in the eastern regions of Sool and Sanaag have defected to Puntland.
At the same time a large contingent of his clansmen armed to the teeth are raising fears in the Sanaag regional Capital of Erigavo where they have established a base on the outskirts of the town which they patrol at will atop their battlewagons.
These unit of former SSC militias had just completed military training funded by the Somaliland government having renounced their allegiance to the Khatumoists secessionists thence absorb into various branches of the Somaliland armed forces.
The activities of these former SSC militias whose induction through training into the armed forces seems to have failed miserably has also seen senior army commanders shuffling between Hargeisa and Erigavo in a bid to reign them though the status quos remain the same.
On the other hand it is an open secret that the army top bass does not trust Brigadier Aalas thence is usually not privy to important military plans.
Aalas himself inherited his post from a clansman who was fired during the short tenure of Gen Jidhif as army chief for having divulged military plans to Khatumoists militias in Buhodle district leading to heavy casualties on both sides.
Meanwhile this detention and all its ramnifications comes at a time when both the SFG in Mogadishu is determined towards recognition of the mythical Khatumo and Abdiweli in Garowe is intent on annexing parts of Sool and Sanaag to the Somalia administrative region of Puntland he now runs.
SDN Hargeisa