Fired after less than 90 days in office...By: Yusuf M Hasan

Hargeisa (Somalilandsun) - The Somaliland armed forces chief of staff has been fired and ordered to hand over to his replacement with immediate effect

General Mohamed Hasan Abdilahi " Jidif" was fired late afternoon by President Silanyo through a directive issued by presidential spokesperson and signed by Silanyo.

The directive stated that President Silanyo fired the army chief pursuant to article 90 of the Somaliland constitution, as well as after consultation with relevant authorities.

According to the presidential directive the fired Jidif is to be replaced with immediate effect by General Ismail Mohamed Osman "Shakale".

Also fired was Ibrahim Aideed Ahmed the army's operations officer who was also replaced with immediate effect by Abdilahi H. Jaama "A'las"

No reasons were given for the sacking of these two senior most army officers in gthe country

While thanking the outgoing chief for his exemplary service to the armed forces and country at large, President Silanyo urged him to hand over duties expeditiously thus enable the new commander attend to urgent security issues.

The fired Jidif assumed office less than 90 days ago taking over from the long serving Gen. Tani who is thought to have been dismissed for his handling of the Samale incident in western Somaliland.

During the short tenure of Gen Jidif hostilities with tribal militias have taken a turn for the worse resulting in in unprecedented number of servicemen deaths, injuries and abductions of both personnel and equipment in the Buhodle area.

The outgoing army chief made a bombastic statement through a local TV channel claiming that he has inflicted heavy casualties (over 100) on the Dulbahante clan militias in Buhodle following skirmishes instigated by the militias early Wednesday morning where the army is said to have seen 13 of their own killed in action, a dozen injured and others seized.

During the fateful press conference which was aired on the eve of president Silanyo's return from a three days working visit to neighbouring Ethiopia and Djibouti, Gen claimed that he would have destroyed the tribal militias in a couple of hours thus wrap –up the whole Khatuumo saga if his hands and thus actions were not tied behind his back by the president.

The incoming army chief, Gen Shakale a legendary SNM commander, was until this appointment a regimental commander in the eastern regions of the country where his conduct has been credited with averting an all-out war with the Khatuumoist militias.

The displeasure with the outgoing army chief was evident when news of Wednesday's clashes in Buhodle were divulged to the public by the ministers of Defense and Fisheries at a press conference at defense headquarters.

It now remains to be seen which direction the whole armed confrontation between the Khatuumoists and national army will take.