Bakool
Bokool | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location in Somalia. | |
| Coordinates: 4°20′47″N 43°32′59″E / 4.34639°N 43.54972°E | |
| Country |  Somalia |
| Regional State |  South West |
| Capital | Huddur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 26,962 km2 (10,410 sq mi) |
| Population (2019[1]) | |
| • Total | 383,400 |
| • Density | 14/km2 (37/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Area code | Bakool |
| HDI (2021) | 0.295[2] low · 14th of 18 |
Bakool (Somali: Bakool, Maay: Bokool, Arabic: بكول) is a region (gobol) in southwestern Somalia.[3]
It is bordered by the Somali regions of Hiiraan, Bay and Gedo.
Bakool, like Gedo and Bay, as well as most parts of the Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Juba) region, used to be a part of the old Upper Region, which was subdivided in the mid-1980s. It has its capital at Hudur.
In March 2014, Somali Armed Forces assisted by an Ethiopian battalion with AMISOM re-captured the Bakool province's capital Hudur from the Al-Shabaab militant group.[4] The offensive was part of an intensified military operation by the allied forces to remove the insurgent group from the remaining areas in southern Somalia under its control.[5]
