His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland, Abdirahman Abdullahi Ismail ‘Zeili’i’, today toured army command posts beyond Tukaraq town which changed hands earlier this month in favor of the Somaliland army.
The VP visit is the first of its kind the presidency makes since the town was captured from the Somalia Federal State of Puntland on January 9.
H.E. Abdirahman Zeili’i’s visit is seen as a morale booster to the troops at the front.
Accompanying the Vice President on this visit was a large delegation among whom were the Chief of Staff of the Somaliland army, Major General Noah Tani, Minister of Defense, Essa Ahmed Hiir, Minister for Water Resources, Suleiman Ali Koore, Vice Minister for Information, Mohamed Musa Abess, Sool Regional Governor, Abdi Khayre Dirir, Mayor of Las Anod Abdi Hussein Tarwale, Regional Police Commander, Army Divisions Commanders led by area Commander Brigadier General Ali Barre and many more.
Tukaraq is still some 70 kilometers this side of the border with a Somalia that has ever since the collapse of the military regime in 1991 been feeding the international with false claims of sovereignty over large tracts of land on Somaliland soil based on ethnic affinities. Somaliland always maintained that it has willingly – albeit hurriedly – sacrificed its five-day, internationally recognized sovereignty to a union with Somalia in order to pave the way for a Greater Somalia dream nation which included the French Somaliland of Djibouti, Haud & Reserve area Plus Ogadenia in Eastern Ethiopia and the Northern Frontier District of Kenya – all of latter three failed to make it, hence the restoration of its independence, internationally defined boundaries and sovereignty of 1960.
Pictures were taken by Mowlid Ismail Diged.
