At least 12 soldiers killed in clash between rival security forces in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – At least 12 soldiers were killed and several others wounded when a gun battle erupted Monday between units of security forces in Somalia’s Puntland state in the port city of Bosaso, said an official.

The firefight took place at the entrance of Bosaso International Airport.

Puntland Security Minister Abdisamad Gallan, who spoke to the media, said the fighting started after soldiers from the Puntland Security Force (PSF) tried to enter the airport with their weapons and clashed with airport security.

Gallan said the fighting broke out due to a misunderstanding between the two sides, adding it is forbidden for the force to enter Puntland airports with weapons.

A plane carrying humanitarian aid and Sadia Yasin Samatar, Somalia’s deputy parliament speaker, were denied the right to land.

But Puntland’s security and interior ministers claimed they were not aware of her travel to Bosaso and called on the federal government to respect their semiautonomous state’s administration.

Samatar, the highest female official in the Somali government, is currently serving as acting president as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Parliament Speaker Adan Madobe are not in the country.

Bosaso is a major commercial hub and port city located 1,414 kilometers (878 miles) northeast of the nation’s capital, Mogadishu.