Al-Shabaab uses arms allocated to Somalia's army to carry out attack

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MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Al-Qaeda linked group, Al-Shabaab has used weapons associated with the Somali Government in the fight against Jubaland state forces, in one of the allegations that could yet again spark outrage in the Horn of Africa nation.

Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe, who is a critic of President Farmajo, said the Al-Shabaab obtained arms and ammunition belonging to the Somali army during the latest battles with the Jubaland forces last year, an indication of a strong tie between the two sides.

"While our forces were fighting with Al-Shabaab...The militants run out of PKM machine gun ammunition and then received it within one day... After examining, we found that the ammunition belongs to the Somali government," said Madobe. 

Jubaland troops have often fought with Al-Shabaab in Somalia especially in the Lower Juba region, and such clashes have often left several people dead. Madobe did not give specific instances to qualify his allegations but he insisted "FGS has always supported Al-Shabaab".

The government is yet to respond to the allegations but this isn't the first time such claims are being peddled. For instance, last year, the Kenya Defense Forces [KDF], who work closely with Jubaland security forces, claimed that Somalia's spy agency was working with Al-Shabaab.

Intelligence reports generated by KDF hinted that the NISA has been working closely with Al-Shabaab, and even gave a code of money transaction, which heavily implicated the Somali government.

Kenyan military claimed that NISA - National Intelligence and Security Agency was responsible for giving intel to Al-Shabaab who would eventually target KDF camps.

But in a rejoinder, FGS defended NISA as a "professional institution with the utmost integrity". The FGS said such claims aimed at "sabotaging institutions" within Somalia and went on to defend Fahad Yasin, the NISA boss who is often linked to political squabbles in the country.

Al-Shabaab controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia and has been substantially degraded due to frequent operations by the Somali and AMISOM troops in Somalia. However, the group is still capable of conducting sophisticated attacks within East Africa.

On Saturday, the militants attacked a construction site near Mogadishu leaving five people dead in Somalia. Among those killed were two people from Turkish and three locals in the latest raid that targets foreigners and those believed to be supporting the government.

The US military who is set to leave Somalia by January 15 also carried two airstrikes on Friday targeting an Al-Shabaab compound in Kunya-barrow but the team is yet to release the full number of possible casualties.

GAROWE ONLINE

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