BELED HAWO— The commander of the Somali National Army’s 43rd Division, Colonel Osman Haji, arrived in the border town of Beled Hawo on Thursday after spending several months in Mogadishu.

Colonel Haji landed at the airstrip inside the UK military training facility in Beled Hawo, according to local sources.

His arrival is understood to be part of a new Federal Government plan aimed at strengthening the presence of Somali National Army forces in the Gedo region.

Sources say recent talks between the Somali National Army leadership and Abdirashid Janan resulted in an understanding that would allow the Federal Government to deploy additional military officers and troops to Beled Hawo.

The development signals renewed efforts by the Federal Government to expand and consolidate its security presence in Gedo, a strategically important region bordering Kenya and Ethiopia.