US-trained elite force: We are not part of Las Anod conflict

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Elite Danab force dismissed claims that they have been involved in the Las Anod conflict, a city within northern Somalia, which has been the epicenter of battles between local SSC-Khatumo fighters and Somaliland troops for the last three months.

Already, over 250 people have been killed and thousands displaced, the United Nations confirmed, with the conflict almost degenerating into a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations and other stakeholders have been calling for an immediate ceasefire but neither the Somaliland forces nor the local militia is ready to negotiate.

With Somaliland now dragging the federal government into the conflict, the elite Danab brigade of the Somali military rejected reports of involvement in the conflict, noting that their "cardinal" objective is to fight Al-Shabaab, the threat to the Horn of Africa nation.

“We would like to take this opportunity to make a clear statement regarding recent media reports. The primary objective of the Danab Unit within the Somali National Army is to fight against terrorist organizations within Somalia," said Brigadier General Ahmed Abdullahi Nur, the commander of Danab forces.

"We want to emphasize that Danab will remain fully committed to this objective and will not engage in any clan conflicts or clan-related affairs," he added. "We can confirm that he was not involved in any official capacity with the Danab Unit of the SNA at the time of his unfortunate demise in the ongoing fight in Las'anod."

A recent report linked Mohamed Suleiman to the conflict in Las Anod but the commander insisted the said the man left Danab two years ago. Suleiman, he added, bowed out of Somali National Army [SNA] for personal reasons. He has been overwhelmingly linked to the conflict in northern Somalia.

"It is necessary to clarify that the individual referred to in recent reports, Mohamed Sulaiman, was a former officer within the SNA Danab who left in 2021 for personal reasons," he said. "We hope this statement will clear up any misunderstandings and provide clarity on the role of the Danab Unit within the Somali National Army."

Danab Special Forces are trained by the United States which recently confirmed that in a financial year, it pumps close to $80 million into the elite wing besides giving every officer a monthly stipend of $300 to enable them to sustain operations against the militants.

GAROWE ONLINE