Af Urur
Af Urur | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 | |
| Country |  Somalia |
| Autonomous state |  Puntland |
Af Urur is a village in the Puntland region of Somalia, located on the Golis Mountains approximately 60 miles southwest of Bosaso. The settlement is placed at a strategically important location, and has thus become strongly contested during the Somali Civil War.[1]
History
Promixal to the al-Shabaab-controlled Galgala hills, the village has been attacked and captured by the militant group several times.[2] Af Urur contains a camp for a contingent of the Darawish paramilitary group, which have been fighting al-Shabab.[3]
In June 2017, Af Urur was the site of an attack by al-Shabaab militants against a Somali military encampment, leading to between 20 and 70 deaths.[4][2] It was one of the deadliest al-Shabaab attacks in Puntland.[4][2]
Al-Shabaab again attacked and fully occupied the village on 20 July 2018.[5] Af Urur was subsequently retaken by Puntland's military, but the local garrison retreated on 8 June 2019, allowing al-Shabaab to capture it once again.[6] On 11 June, Darawish troops counterattacked, and restored control over Af Urur.[7]
References
- ^ "Maxay Af-Urur muhiim u tahay?" [Why is Af-Urur important?]. BBC (in Somali). 20 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ a b c Hassan, Abdiqani (June 8, 2017). Roche, Andrew (ed.). "Al Shabaab kills 38 in Somalia's Puntland: military". Reuters.
- ^ Osman, Harun (June 8, 2017). "Heavy Losses Reported as Somali Puntland Forces Repel Al-Shabab Attack". Voice of America.
Af-Urur is a camp for a contingent of the Darawish, a paramilitary force in Puntland that has been fighting al-Shabab in the Galgala Mountains. The militant group attacked the same camp in January this year when the regional forces fiercely defended it killing nine militants.
- ^ a b Bearak, Max (June 8, 2017). "Al-Shabab militants storm army base in Somalia, killing dozens". The Washington Post.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Ibrahim Ahmed (2 August 2018). "Somaliland-Puntland Rift Ripe for Exploitation?". Voice of America. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ "Al-Shabaab militants seize control of town in Somalia's Puntland region". The New Arab. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "Puntland forces recaptures Af-Urur village from Al Shabab". Somaliland Standard. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.