| Galgala Campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Somali Civil War, War in Somalia (2009-present) | |||||||||
 Area under control of Puntland administration as of February 2008 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
 Somaliland[2] |
| ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Mohamed Said Atom[5] |
 Umar Abdullahi | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Somaliland: 70[2] | hundreds[5] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 96 killed[8] |
18[9] 40 injured[10] | ||||||||
|
100+ civilians killed[11] | |||||||||
| |||||
The Galgala campaign was a military campaign by Transitional Federal Government-linked Puntland, Somalia, that took place from August 8[3] until October 17, 2010.[4] It was aimed at re-gaining control of the Galgala hills,[2] which had fallen in hands of al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom and his militia.[5][7]
Background[]
Atom has been involved in smuggling arms from Puntland to al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia[1] and has been implicated in incidents of piracy, kidnapping, and terrorism.[7][12]
Campaign[]
The campaign started on August 8,[3] in response to an al-Shabaab attack on July 26[4] which left 2 Puntland soldiers dead.[13] In response to the crackdown, al-Shabaab launched several bombings, targeting civilian centers such as the city of Bosaso. The campaign ended when Puntland forces seized the villages of Dhagah Barur, Dhagahdheer, and Dindigle on October 17. Dindigle was al-Shabaab's last stronghold in the region.[4]
Aftermath[]
After the campaign’s conclusion, 150 of Atom’s men were reported to have defected and joined the Puntland Intelligence Agency.[12] Military sources reported that Atom “‘fled before the Galgala war started’ and left his comrades to face Puntland troops alone.”[14] It was believed that Atom had fled to Burao, Somaliland’s second largest city.[14] Burao police chief Abdirahman Fohle conducted raids to look for al-Shabaab linked militants.[15] He denied reports that Atom was hiding in the area, but affirmed that he would arrest “him or anyone else who is a threat to regional security.”[15]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Somalia's once stable Puntland hit by insurgency, 19 August 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 allafrica Somaliland 'Loots' Air Cargo After Plane Makes Emergency Landing, December 30, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Al Shabaab Rebel Atom 'Hiding in Somaliland' - Report
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 allafrica Troops Seize 'Last Insurgent Outpost' in Galgala - Puntland General, October 21, 2010
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 New York Times Government Forces Fight Militants in Northeast Somalia, August 9, 2010
- ↑ Garrowe Online Somaliland intensify anti-terror operations in Burao, October 26, 2010
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Somali Puntland Forces Attack al-Qaida Linked Militia, 26 July 2010
- ↑ allafrica Somaliland Silent as 'Foreign Soldiers' Help Capture Militants
- ↑ Puntland Casualties: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]
- ↑ Press TV Dozens killed in Somalia violence, August 21, 2010
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 SOMALIA: More than 250 troops defect Puntland positions to form clan militia
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Galgala Militia Prepares to Fight Puntland". Somalia Report. http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/2640.
- ↑ BBC News Puntland forces attack al-Shabab in Somali mountains, July 26, 2010
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Al Shabaab rebel Atom 'hiding in Somaliland'". Garowe Online. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somali_Al_Shabaab_member_Atom_hiding_in_Somaliland_Report.shtml.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Somaliland forces intensify anti-terror operations in Burao". Garowe Online. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Somaliland_forces_intensify_anti-terror_operations_in_Burao_printer.shtml.
The original article can be found at Galgala campaign and the edit history here.