Puntland Bans Civilians From Visiting Tukaraq Town

Puntland authorities have banned the public from visiting frontline as forces from Somaliland and Puntland were amassed in and around Tukaraq town.
Forcesfrom Puntland and Somaliland have engaged in a deadly gun battle over the border.
Over 50 combatants from both sides were killed and over hundred other sustained injuries in January and May clashes between the forces.
In a statement, Puntland Parliamentary Defense Committee has directed the law enforcement agencies to stop private and public vehicles from going to Tukaraq town.
The parliamentary body did not give details about the reason behind the directive and why commercial transporters including tankers and buses have been banned from going to Tukaraq town.
“The committee directs the Police not to allow Petrol tankers from Garowe town to head to the frontline,” the statement reads in part.
The committee also ordered the police to inspect vehicles from Garowe and Tukaraq towns.
The statement of the parliamentary Defense Committee comes just a week after Puntland forces engaged heavy clashes with Somaliland forces over the control of Tukaraq town which lies 95km away Garowe town.
More military hardware and personnel deployed by Puntland and Somaliland was seen around Tukaraq town.
Both Somaliland and Puntland claim the ownership of the two disputed regions, Sool and Sanag.
Hargeisa bases its claims on the imaginary boundaries set by the British during the colonial period whereas Puntland’s claim is based on a clans’ agreement inked during the formation of the state two decades ago.
Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia on 18th May 1991 but has not yet achieved any formal international recognition as a sovereign state.