Af Urur | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Af Urur | |
| Coordinates: 10°50′21″N48°55′55″E / 10.83917°N 48.93194°E [1] | |
| State |  Puntland |
| Region | Bari, Somalia |
Af Urur is a town in the Puntland state of Somalia, located on the Golis Mountains, somewhat far from Bosaso, but its exact location is not known. [1] The settlement is placed at a strategically important location, and has thus become strongly contested during the Somali Civil War. [2] One of the most prominent clans in the village are the Tiinle. [3]
Promixal to the al-Shabaab-controlled Galgala hills, the village has been attacked and captured by the militant group several times. [4] Af Urur contains a camp for a contingent of the Darawish paramilitary group, which have been fighting al-Shabab. [5]
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. [6] [4] It was one of the deadliest al-Shabaab attacks in Puntland. [6] [4]
Al-Shabaab again attacked and fully occupied the village on 20 July 2018. [7] 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. [8] On 11 June, Darawish troops counterattacked, and restored control over Af Urur. [9]
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, commonly known as al-Shabaab, is a Sunni Islamist military and political organization based in Somalia and active elsewhere in East Africa. It is actively involved in the ongoing Somali Civil War and incorporates elements of Somali nationalism into its Islamist cause. Allegiant to the militant pan-Islamist organization al-Qaeda since 2012, it has also been suspected of forging ties with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Puntland–Somaliland dispute is a territorial dispute over the provinces of Sool, Sanaag and the Buuhoodle district of Togdheer region between the self-declared Republic of Somaliland and the Puntland state of Somalia.
The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Shabaab militants who pledged alliegence to al-Qaeda during 2012.
Dhahar District is an administrative district in the Sanaag region.
The Galgala campaign was a military campaign autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, that took place periodically from 8 August until 1 October 2014. It was aimed at re-gaining control of the Galgala hills, which had fallen in hands of al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom and his militia.
This is a 2011 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom is a Somali arms-smuggler, faction leader and al-Shabaab commander. On 7 June 2014, Atom surrendered to the Somali government.
This is a 2012 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
The Golis Mountains are a mountain range in Somaliland. Also known as Qar Golis, they cut through the Togdheer region, and end near the Gan Libah.
This is a 2014 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
This is a 2015 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
The Islamic State – Somalia Province or Abnaa ul-Calipha is an Islamic State–affiliated group that primarily operates in the mountainous areas of Puntland, and which has also claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks throughout the rest of Somalia. Led by Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mumin, the group is estimated to have up to 300 active fighters. Since its formation, ISS probably managed to take control of a small, sparsely populated territory in northern Somalia's mountainous hinterland, though it was not acknowledged as official province ("Wilayat") by IS's central leadership until December 2017. Since then, it has sometimes been called Somalia Province by pro-IS media. ISS is also the declared enemy of al-Shabaab, which considers the Islamic State a significant threat to its own predominance among Jihadist factions in Somalia.
The Battle of Af Urur took place on 8 June 2017, when al-Shabaab militants attacked and overran the military base and village of Af Urur in Puntland, killing many soldiers of the Puntland Security Force. It was the deadliest terrorist attack of any militant group in Puntland since the autonomous state's foundation in 1998.
This is a 2016 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
This is a 2017 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Since the early 2000s, the United States has provided military support to the Transitional Federal Government and the Federal Government of Somalia in conflicts. U.S. military actions in Somalia date back to the 1980s, however following the September 11th attacks, military action was justified as counterterrorism. The Obama administration and the Trump administration conducted drone and fighter aircraft strikes, advisory missions, training, provided intelligence, and attacked al-Shabaab militants. Two U.S. special operations personnel, two contractors, one US Army soldier, and a CIA paramilitary officer have died during operations in Somalia.
This is a 2018 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
In July 2022, the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab launched an invasion from Somalia into Ethiopia's Somali Region. Following attacks on the Somali side of the border, the rebel militants initially attacked Ethiopia's Afder Zone on 21 July and occupied the town of Hulhul before being driven back by Somali Region paramilitary forces. On 25 July, the militants launched a second incursion at Ferfer which was also defeated. Further cross-border attacks continued in the following days, while Ethiopia launched counter-attacks in response. Clashes between the Somali rebels and security forces inside Ethiopia extended into early August, and at least one small al-Shabaab contingent succeeded in evading the Ethiopian force and reached its main target, the Bale Mountains.
Events in the year 2023 in Somalia.
Events in the year 2024 in Somalia.
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.