Saturday August 8, 2026
Bosaso (AX) — Puntland State security forces have taken over a military base in Armo district, Bari region, that had been occupied by troops aligned with Somalia’s federal government, Puntland State authorities said Saturday.
The seizure marks the latest step in President Said Abdullahi Deni’s administration-wide effort to place military facilities and armed forces across Puntland State under regional control, further deepening tensions with Mogadishu.
Puntland State police said the operation was intended to reinforce security and reassert the authority of the regional administration. Authorities said every armed group operating in Puntland State must be brought under the region’s legally established security institutions.
“The Puntland State Police Command will continue efforts to strengthen security and protect public order in accordance with the law and the Puntland State Constitution,” the police said in a statement.
The Armo facility had been held by forces reporting to the federal government, which Puntland State said were established by politicians allied with Mogadishu. Puntland State forces now control the base, and security has been increased in the surrounding area.
Local officials said the operation was the third recent instance in which Puntland State forces seized a military base from units affiliated with the federal government.
The latest development comes as Puntland State pursues a wider campaign to consolidate command of the region’s security forces. Authorities have also confronted the Puntland State Security Force, or PSF, a counterterrorism unit that operated independently of the regional government and maintained links to Somalia’s federal authorities.
Puntland State forces seized PSF headquarters in Galkayo and Bosaso earlier this week following clashes. Puntland State authorities have characterized the PSF as an armed group outside the region’s formal security structure, although the force has long played a central role in counterterrorism operations against al-Shabab and Islamic State militants.
President Said Abdullahi Deni has separately ordered forces operating in Puntland State under federal government command to surrender their weapons and military facilities to the regional administration.
The moves have fueled concern that the dispute between Puntland State and the federal government could widen into a broader confrontation. The two sides have clashed over political, security and constitutional matters.
Puntland State authorities say the operations are designed to restore security and government oversight. Officials aligned with Mogadishu, however, have accused the regional administration of heightening tensions and pursuing forces loyal to the federal government.
Puntland State has not publicly said whether the federal-aligned troops at Armo resisted the takeover or disclosed where they were transferred.
