Somaliland troops and separatists clash, five killed
By REUTERS
HARGEISA - At least four Somaliland troops and one rebel fighter loyal to the breakaway enclave's secessionists were killed during clashes on Sunday, both sides said.The fighting first erupted in January after the leaders of the northern regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn decided to band together into a new state called Khaatumo and declared they wanted to be an independent region within Somalia.Somaliland's troops have since clashed with militia fighters loyal to Khaatumo, with reports of dozens of casualties.Somaliland is an internationally unrecognized state that declared independence from Somalia in 1991.
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