Somali army kills 18 al-Shabab militants in central region
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The Somali National Army killed 18 al-Shabab militants in operations in the country's central state of Galmudug, local media reported Sunday.
The forces targeted al-Shabab militants' hideouts, destroyed their network and killed militant commanders during the offensive that lasted several hours, the Somali news agency said, quoting Abdirahman Yusuf Al-adala, deputy minister of the Ministry of information, Culture and Tourism.
"Our forces destroyed terrorist networks in Budbud and Galcad towns during a special operation in the region on Saturday afternoon. The forces managed to eliminate military commanders," Adala said.
The government forces have sustained their attacks against the al-Shabab group since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an all-out war against the militants in 2022. The president has pledged to intensify military operations against the militants to protect the Somali people from extortion, intimidation and extremism.
This comes after the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) successfully withdrew 2000 troops and handed over the bases to Somalia National Army by 30th June 2023, in a phased handover of security to the Somali government.
ATMIS, in partnership with the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), l concluded the successful drawdown of 2,000 troops, in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670 (2022). Six (06) Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) were handed over to Somali Security Forces (SSF) which include: Xaaji Cali, Miirtuquo, Cadale, Albao, Gherille, Aljazeera 1, while one FOB – Marka Ayub was closed.
The Federal Government of Somalia and ATMIS reaffirms their commitment to facilitating the smooth transition of security responsibilities in Somalia to It is in line with Somalia's transition plan.
Speaking at a joint press conference held at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu in May, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Council and Head of #ATMIS, Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef and the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Government of Somalia , Daud Aweis, said that the operations against Al-Shabaab to liberate the areas they still control are going on in different parts of the country.
"I want to confirm our commitment to carry out the transfer of security responsibility to the Somali security forces in accordance with the Somali transition plan and the decisions of the United Nations Security Council regarding this issue. Based on these decisions, #ATMIS has finalized the plan to begin the reduction of 2000 soldiers which should be done by the end of this month," said Souef.
Ambassador Souef expressed confidence that the DFS has created enough forces to take over security responsibilities when the #ATMIS troops leave.
"I have full confidence in the ability of the Somali Security Forces. The XDS army has in the past year shown an increasing ability to carry out military operations against the terrorist group. I wholeheartedly praise the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for strengthening the country's strength as well as the deployment of the People's Army in the fight against Al-Shabaab," he noted.
Minister Aweis praised the security forces of Somalia for their commitment to ensuring peace and stability in the entire country, and he added that the security agencies should continue to work together to eliminate the threat of Al-Shabaab.
