PSF Says It Operates Under the Somali National Army as Dispute with Puntland Continues

The Puntland Security Force (PSF) has stated that it is officially part of the Somali National Army (SNA), amid an ongoing dispute with the Puntland regional administration over its operations.

Speaking to the BBC, Abdikhaliq Awil, Secretary-General of the PSF, said the force is a federal military unit operating under the command of Somalia’s national armed forces.

“The PSF is a federal force under the Somali National Army,” Awil said.

His remarks come after Puntland accused Somalia’s Federal Government of recruiting military personnel in the regions of Bari, Nugal, and Mudug without the regional administration’s approval.

When asked how the PSF could legally operate in Puntland-controlled territory, Awil argued that Somalia’s Provisional Federal Constitution gives the federal government responsibility for the country’s defense forces, while regional states are responsible for police forces.

Awil also denied allegations that the PSF had been involved in recruiting or registering new soldiers.

“Our mission is not military recruitment. We were established to fight terrorism, and we are not involved in recruiting or registering troops,” he said.

Former Puntland Darawish Forces commander Colonel Cabdiwaaxid Maxamuud Xasan told the BBC that the PSF was originally part of an earlier security organization known as PIS, which was established during the presidency of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.

According to the former commander, the original force combined military and intelligence functions to combat terrorism. It was later reorganized, with the military component becoming the Puntland Security Force (PSF) while the intelligence branch became a separate institution.

He explained that the force was created in response to the growing global threat of terrorism following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when counterterrorism became a strategic priority for both the Horn of Africa and the United States.

The dispute between Puntland and the PSF remains unresolved, with both sides maintaining different interpretations of the force’s legal status and operational authority.

The latest tensions follow an incident on Monday morning when, according to Awil, a PSF convoy consisting of eight vehicles conducting what he described as a routine security operation was stopped near Laag, approximately 30 kilometers from Bosaso.

The confrontation has renewed concerns over security coordination and the division of military authority between Somalia’s Federal Government and the Puntland regional administration.