A/HRC/21/61 47. The Independent Expert had raised the same issue with the President of Puntland and Vice-President Abdisamad Ali Shire, who was from the Sool region. Both claimed that the territories belonged to Puntland and they were therefore opposed to the formation of a new State. On 21 January 2012, the day of the demonstrations, the Vice-President of Puntland allegedly stated that Puntland had the constitutional right to liberate Las Anod from Somaliland, and asked Somaliland forces to leave the Sool region. 48. In further developments, on 4 June, militias loyal to Khatuumo State captured a checkpoint manned by Puntland security forces and occupied Tukaraq village. Elders and community leaders from both sides entered into negotiations on 12 June to avert a conflict between the two sides. On 16 June, Somaliland forces advanced into Tukaraq, forcing the Khatuumo militias to withdraw. After a few hours, however, Somaliland forces retreated to their base in Laascaanood, in the Sool region, after which Puntland army forces took control of Tukaraq. On 18 June, reports indicated that at least 120 security personnel from different sectors of Puntland security forces deserted and joined Khatuumo State militia. According to reports, the deserters were met and welcomed by members of the Khatuumo administration and residents in the area. 49. The Independent Expert subsequently learned that the President of Somaliland and a Sool, Sanaag and Cayn leader had met in Dubai on 27 June 2012 and agreed to resolve the problem, and to end all human rights violations resulting from the conflict in the region. The Independent Expert would like to draw the attention of the international community to the developments in the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions, which had potential to get out of hand. IV. Developments in the field of human rights A. Right to life 50. The end of active combat in Mogadishu brought improvement to the situation of civilians living in the capital. The number of weapon-related casualties had decreased significantly as against those of 2011, when in May alone 1,590 people were admitted to Mogadishu hospitals with weapon-related injuries, 735 cases being children under 5 years. Against this, the number of casualties stood at about 500 people in the course of the month of January 2012, with 43 cases involving children under the age of 5. 51. The prohibition of direct fire and the identification of no-fire zones by AMISOM also contributed to the reduction of civilian casualties. The introduction of a civilian casualty tracking cell by AMISOM was expected to contribute to a further reduction. 52. The number of injuries or loss of life resulting from unconventional warfare, violence and insecurity remained very high. Al-Shabaab had publicly stated its intention to continue such attacks and claimed responsibility for the October 2011 attack in Mogadishu, which killed about 70 people, many of them students applying for scholarships, and in February 2012, which killed 15 people near the Muna Hotel. 53. The high number of strikes by Al-Shabaab was indicative of its disregard for the rules of war traditionally embedded in Somali culture. It had reportedly announced that it would continue to use improvised explosive devices, a tactic that accounted for a significant percentage of casualties. On 27 February, for example, such a device exploded during a football game in Wardhigley District, killing five people and injuring 12. 54. Outside Mogadishu, military operations by Ethiopian and Kenyan forces reportedly caused civilian casualties. One example was an airstrike conducted on Jilib, where, at the end of October 2011, a missile hit a camp for internally displaced persons, killing five 10