| Galaga Campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Somali Civil War, War in Somalia (2009-present) | |||||||||
Area under control of Puntland administration as of February 2008 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen Warsangali clan militia[3] Somaliland (allegedly)[4] |
Puntland
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Mohamed Said Atom[5] | Abdirahman Mohamud Farole Yusuf Ahmed Qeyr |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| Atom militia: 250[7] Somaliland: 70 (allegedly)[4] |
hundreds[5] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 96 killed (Puntland claim)[8] | 18[9]-200[10] killed 40 injured[11] |
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| 100+ civilians killed[12] 1,800 people displaced (July-August)[13] |
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The Galaga campaign was a military campaign by Puntland, that started on August 8[1] and was completed on October 17, 2010.[2] It was aimed re-gaining control of the Galaga hills,[4] including many villages, that had fallen in hands of a militia loyal to Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom, a warlord which pledged allegiance to al-Shabaab and declared he would fight Puntland until Islamic law was implemented.[5] He was backed by fighters from his own Warsangali clan, which had been involved in a tribal rebellion against Puntland's authorities in 2006[3] when they oppsed a deal Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole signed with Australian company Range Resources for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and development in the Galgala area.[12] Atom is also alleged to have smuggled arms from Puntland to al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia, in the past[3] and is also allegedly involved with Piracy in Somalia.[7]
The campaign started on August 8,[1] in response to an al-Shabaab attack on July 26[2] which killed 2 Puntland soldiers.[14] In response to the crackdown, al-Shabaab launched several bombings, targeting civilian centers such as the city of Bossaso. The campaign ended on October 17, as Puntland forces seized the villages of Dhagah Barur, Dhagahdheer, and Dindigle, which was al-Shabaab's last stronghold in the region.[2]
After Puntland seized control of the last insurgent strongholds on October 26, 2010 they alleged that Sheikh Atom had fled to Burao, in Somaliland, a separatist administration West of Puntland.[6] They also accused Somaliland of arming and funding the insurgents in Galaga and alleged that Somaliland forces were active inside Puntland, fighting alongside the insurgents. They also claimed to have killed Somaliland forces during the conflict.[4] Somaliland has denied all these allegations.[6] Hostilities between the Puntland and Somaliland administrations stem from a border dispute over the Sool and Sanaag regions.[4]