The Vice President of Puntland has expressed his displeasure at the decision to withdraw African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces from the region.
Vice President Mohamud Sayid Adan said that the withdrawal of the forces has left a huge security gap that could be problematic in the coming days.
He expressed his dismay in an interview with Voice of America (VoA) Somalia.
Adan called the withdrawal of the troops an “ill-conceived plan.”
“Our people are now likely to face a huge security threat because of the absence of ATMIS troops,” the Vice President added.
“Al-Shabaab could now have a free hand to carry out retaliatory attacks against our people,” he lamented.
ATMIS pulled back 2,000 of its troops from Somalia by June 30.
It also handed over several forward operating bases (FOBs) to Somali National Army (SNA) including the one in Geriley, a town in Gedo, Puntland.