Senior Somali police officer allegedly arrested in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA - A top security official from the federal government of Somalia has allegedly been arrested in Ethiopia, an incident if confirmed, would be the first officer within the Turkish-trained to be detained abroad.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that Ahmed Dirir, the commander of the Haramacad police contingent, a paramilitary within the Somali Police Force, was arrested by Ethiopian intelligence officials on Sunday.

However, Garowe Online cannot authoritatively confirm the claims but multiple sources insisted the police boss is being held by authorities in Ethiopia for questioning. Investigations have not been concluded.

It's not clear why Ethiopia would detain the police officer but this is not an isolated incident. Last year, authorities in Djibouti returned a plane carrying former National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] boss Fahad Yasin to Turkey after shortly landing at the Airport.

Fahad Yasin, now a national security advisor to outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. is a divisive technocrat in Somalia, often accused of meddling in the country's politics. He was returned back after it emerged that he was toxic to electoral deals which were being crafted.

Ahmed Dirir on the other hand has been the head of the paramilitary unit which is accused of extrajudicial killings within Somalia. The officers have been linked to the disappearance and subsequent deaths of politicians, journalists, and civil society members.

The opposition has often accused Farmaajo of using them to settle scores with his opponents, a claim he has repeatedly denied. The officers along with the Gorgor elite forces are trained in Turkey, a friendly nation to Somalia.

For some time now, Turkey has been on the receiving end for training the troops, with the opposition writing to Ankara sometimes back over the troops' role in the destabilization of Somalia. Authorities in Turkey have also refuted the claims previously.

GAROWE ONLINE