On June 24, 2008, Puntland-based Somali pirates kidnapped four German nationals (among them a woman and a child) from Yemen and brought them to the vicinity of Las Qoray after the yacht of the German nationals ran out of fuel.[2][3] Somaliland coastguards gave chase in speedboats from their main base in the port town of Berbera when the pirates entered Somaliland territorial waters as they headed to Puntland. The coastguards found the pirates' boat abandoned near Las Qoray[2] The pirates moved to the mountains near Las Qoray in the disputed Sanag region with the hostages.[4] The presence of hostages in the disputed region heightened tensions between Somaliland and Puntland, both of which sought to assert control over the area.
The Battle
On 9 July 2008, the 116th Brigade of the Somaliland National Army entered Las Qoray, claiming their objective was to rescue the German hostages from pirate captivity.[1][5] Somaliland forces (including some troops local to the area) seized the port town, facing no resistance from Puntland troops who withdrew from the area to avoid clashes, and took up positions 5km east of the town.[5][6][7][8] Somaliland forces reportedly also reached the Almadow mountain range near Las Qoray, where the hostages were held. The forces surrounded the pirates and sealed off the area.[4][9][8] The Somaliland forces were backed by more than 20 armored trucks.[10]
The German hostages were eventually released without a reported ransom.[11] The incident at Las Qoray contributed to the ongoing territorial disputes and occasional clashes between Somaliland and Puntland over the Sanaag region, triggering a tense stand-off between both sides.[12][9] Somaliland forces later withdrew on July 12.[13]
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Somaliland 
