Somalia: Puntland asks Int'l community for help in fighting terrorism.

GAROWE, Puntland - The president of Somalia's northwestern Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni has visited state defense forces stationed at a military base outside Garowe city on Saturday, Garowe Online reports.

The president accompanied by the vice president of Puntland, Ahmed Elmi Osman [Karash] and other senior government officials delivered a speech to boot moral of the regional Darawish troops in the 54th army camp.

During his address, President Deni said that Puntland did not receive for years the required allocation from the International community's support destined to Somalia in the fight against terrorism.

"What Somalia needs most is continued assistance in the security sector... The enemy, including foreign jihadists, are crossing into the country from the seas... These evil forces could be faced only with a strong force," he said.

Somalia remained under sanctions it cannot buy "heavy weapons" because of the United Nations Security Council arms embargo imposed in 1992, a year after a bloody civil war broke out in the Horn of Africa country.

Deni, who came into office last January has called on Somalia's International partners to listen to his administration's demand for urgent support to win the war on the terrorist groups, Al-Shabaab and ISIL.

"I am deeply saddened to say that Puntland, where the country's sovereignty is protected has not received properly its allocated share of the military assistance for Somalia," said the president.

Puntland is tackling dual challenges facing security forces from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab and the growing presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

The call comes as the long-chaotic nation emerging from two decades of civil war and is struggling to rebirth after being ravaged by clan divisions and whose infrastructure and institutions are in tatters.

Al-Shabab, which is fighting to overthrow the Western-backed Somali government, has launched a series of deadly attacks in Puntland and killed hundreds of state security personnel.

GAROWE ONLINE