GAROWE, Somalia Jan 14, 2008 - The vice president of Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region faced violent protests after briefly visiting residents and soldiers encamped at Tukaraq, a frontier town in Sool region where Puntland troops have been organizing to retake the provincial capital Las Anod.

Vice President Hassan Dahir Afqura was accompanied by senior Puntland military commanders on his unannounced visit to Tukaraq yesterday, sources said.

The vice president's visit to the frontline troops coincided with a bloody battle in parts of Sool between forces loyal to the separatist region of Somaliland and clan militias allied to Puntland.

Tukaraq residents welcomed Vice President Afqura's delegation by throwing stones and demanding his withdrawal, local sources reported. He was quickly ushered to the military camp, where he addressed Puntland troops and stressed “defending” the region, the sources added.

But the troops became frustrated with the Puntland vice president's speech.

Some soldiers began protesting and the scene quickly transformed chaotic, according to witnesses. One Tukaraq soldier was killed by members of Afqura's personal guard, soldiers said.

The Puntland vice president returned to the administrative capital Garowe later Sunday.

A soldier in Tukaraq who spoke with Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity said the troops were displeased with Afqura's speech, which did not address Somaliland's control of Las Anod but centered around defending the rest of the Puntland regions.

Somaliland and Puntland have battled for control of Sool region since 2002. Local residents fear the outbreak of a major clan war in northern Somalia, a region that has enjoyed relative peace and stability for more than a decade.

Source: Garowe Online