The Minister of Information, Communications, Culture and Tourism in the Puntland Government, Mahmoud Ayed Darr, has accused the federal government of collaborating with the Terrorist Youth Movement and seeking to bring it into power.
The Minister asserted that elements of the movement are embedded within federal government institutions, including some units of the armed forces, suggesting that recent speeches from some federal officials reflect – he described – a relationship between the parties.
Eidid added that the federal government has placed restrictions on Puntland’s anti-ISIS military operations in Almskad, in a bid – as he said – to provide a safe haven for terrorist elements. She was also accused of seeking to disrupt security and stability in Puntland, signaling that some federal officials have agreed to recruit militias in the state.
The minister also noted that President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud’s call for members of the Youth Terrorist Movement to obtain national ID cards reveals – he said – the level of the relationship between the government and terrorist elements, and raises serious questions about the directions of the federal leadership.
