Al-Shabaab militants arrested in Puntland

Security forces in Somalia’s Puntland state have nabbed men carrying guns in the administrative capital of Garowe, police commander said.Abdirihman Haji Abshir, Nugal Police Commander said security officers manning a checkpoint in the east of the town arrested suspected Al-Shabaab men carrying 9 AK 47 rifles, who were on their way to the commercial city of Bossaso.“Police officers manning the checkpoint arrested two Al-Shabaab men who were trying to smuggle out those weapons,” he said.“The police are after another Al-Shabaab man, the owner of the weapons, who escaped the police net. We have his name and hopefully we will arrest him,” he noted, adding that the arrested men hail from Puntland.The arrest coincides with cabinet meetings going in Bossaso over the security of the commercial hub that has recently deteriorated.Puntland government vowed to combat with ‘iron fist’ the insecurity that is threatening the stability of the region.The state, which declared its autonomous status more than 10 years ago, has enjoyed relative peace and stability compared to south central Somalia where escalating powerful insurgency has killed thousands of people.