Saturday December 3, 2022
Beledweyne (HOL) - Hiiraan regional Governor, Ali Jeyte Osman, issued a stern warning against illegal checkpoints in the region following reports of increased checkpoints on roads connecting the region's main towns.
The governor, speaking to the media in Teedha village, vowed to take action against rogue soldiers seen establishing illegal checkpoints and extorting money from locals.
The Governor added that he has been supervising the fight against al Shabab for six months and cannot accept that travellers are harassed on the newly liberated roads.
Days ago, security forces arrested a Somali soldier for shooting dead a minibus driver during a dispute at an illegal checkpoint near Balcad town. The illegal checkpoint was set up by rogue soldiers who reportedly demanded a payment of about 100,000 Somali shillings. The minibus driver told the soldier that he could only pay 90,000 before an argument ensued, and the driver was shot dead.