Breakaway Somali republic advances into Somalia

BOSASSO, Somalia - Troops from the breakaway Somali republic of Somaliland on Monday captured a village inside a rival region of Somalia, killing at least 10 people, witnesses said.

"Ten dead people are lying in the streets of Las Anod," radio operator Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters from the village inside the neighbouring Puntland region of Somalia.

Somaliland, which broke off from Somalia when civil war erupted in 1991 and has governed itself since, ran troops from the neighbouring Puntland region out of the village of Las Anod.

There were conflicting reports on whether Somaliland troops had advanced further into Puntland, and on the size of their forces.

"Somaliland troops have captured the entire village and 100 Puntland troops. Somaliland has warned that if Puntland troops try to come back, they would not mind going deep into Puntland territory," a security official who tracks Somalia said.

Puntland and Somaliland for years have fought over their border, which was made when Britain took Somaliland as its colony and Italy the rest of what is now modern-day Somalia.