One Dead as Puntland Security Forces Clash in Bosaso

At least one Puntland Security Force soldier was killed on Sunday after gunfire erupted between PSF troops and Puntland’s Dervish forces in the Madar-Jiif area, between the town of Laag and the port city of Bosaso, according to security sources.

The clash began when PSF troops reportedly tried to force their way through a checkpoint on the road into the city, prompting Dervish forces to block the convoy and exchange heavy weapons fire.

The confrontation is the latest flashpoint in a long-running dispute over who commands Somalia’s security forces, and it comes as Puntland’s relationship with the federal government in Mogadishu grows increasingly strained.

With Bosaso serving as Puntland’s main commercial port, any prolonged instability threatens trade, transport and humanitarian supply lines running through the region.