Greater Somalia War, the vision of uniting the various historically and predominantly Somali-inhabited areas of the Horn of Africa into a Greater Somalia was temporarily sidelined. Thousands of refugees have been granted political asylum in Kenya. Talk of pan-Somali unification movements for the moment took a backseat, as the Republic splintered into a few autonomous smaller regional or clan-based governing zones. The government of the secessionist region of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia has consistently attempted to break away from the Somali Republic and launched an unsuccessful though persistent campaign to seek recognition from international organizations and countries. Somaliland further clashed with Puntland
2009 timeline of the War in Somalia In south-western Somalia gunmen shot and killed a World Food Program officer. In Guriel, fighting between insurgents and government backed moderate militiamen resulted in the deaths of six people, four believed to be militiamen and two thought to be Al Shabaab insurgents. A roadside bomb exploded in the community of Towflig in the Yagshid district which is north of Mogadishu killing four TFG soldiers and injuring two others. On the road between Baydao and Diinsoor in the Bay region of South-western Somalia an Al-Shabaab ambush hit a militia driven out of Kismayo in September and Ethiopian troops in support of