Friday December 13, 2024
Jubaland Deputy Minister of Security, Aden Ahmed Hajji, delivers a press statement addressing recent accusations by the Somali Federal Government regarding alleged collaboration with Al-Shabaab during the Raas Kambooni clashes. (Undated photo)
Kismayo (HOL) — Jubaland's Deputy Minister of Security has vehemently denied the Federal Government's allegations of collaborating with Al-Shabaab militants in recent clashes in Raas Kambooni. The contested border town's capture by Jubaland forces has further exposed the fragile relationship between Somalia's central government and its semi-autonomous states.
Jubaland officials announced the capture of Raas Kambooni, a strategic town near the Kenyan border, following intense clashes with Somali National Army (SNA) troops. Jubaland's Deputy Minister of Security, Aden Ahmed Hajji, dismissed accusations of collaboration with Al-Shabaab as "false and unfounded."
"Our vehicles travelled through the coastal route, and we defended our positions at Buur Gaabo. The Federal Government initiated the attack using drones—we have evidence of their deployment," Hajji said during a press briefing.
Hajji accused Mogadishu of provoking the conflict, questioning the deployment of federal troops to an area where no African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces were stationed.
"If the government did not initiate the aggression, why did it send multiple planes to the area? There are no ATMIS troops stationed in Raas Kambooni. What was the purpose of deploying their forces?" he added.
Jubaland's state governmewnt condemned the SNA's deployment into its territory.
Somalia's Deputy Minister of Information, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala, alleged that Jubaland forces coordinated with Al-Shabaab militants, using their territories to transport military vehicles over 270 kilometres from Kismayo to Raas Kambooni.
"There is clear evidence that Al-Shabaab played a consequential role in the attack on government forces. This demonstrates the close relationship between Ahmed Madobe and Al-Shabaab," Al-Adala stated.