Former South West State President, Abdi Aziz Laftagareen, has addressed allegations that he has formed a relationship and alliance with Al-Shabaab, following a recent attack on Baidoa by Lafta Gareen forces and Al-Shabaab.
The Federal Government of Somalia has also accused Lafta Gareen of resorting to joining Al-Shabaab to collaborate in disrupting security in South West State.
Lafta Gareen said that the fighting in Baidoa was caused by forces he described as having been deployed from Mogadishu and had been in the city for a while, saying that the aim was to return the South West State administrative center to the control of his administration.
He said that the attack carried out by his forces was an attempt to remove the forces he described as invaders from the city, insisting that it was not related to Al-Shabaab.
He was also asked why he initially left Baidoa, saying that he had the power to enter the war at the time, but refrained from doing so to avoid harming the people and the environment.
Laftagareen said that security conditions and public complaints forced him to return to the ongoing struggle in the Southwest.
