Hassan Sheikh: We established a strategy to defeat Al-Shabaab in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Al-Shabaab could be counting more losses in the coming weeks in different parts of the country with the government now insisting that it has come up with a better strategy for handling the militants who control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in an interview with CNN, dismissed the group 'mafia' hiding in Islam to continue terrorizing innocent civilians in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been struggling with instability for the longest spell in history.

The Somalia president insisted that his administration will not give the militants time to "breathe" arguing that he will try using the military to dislodge the militants besides cutting off their financial loopholes which have sustained Al-Shabaab for over a decade.

 "Al-Shabaab is a group of mafia shouldering with an Islamic cover; we need to uncover them, take the narrative of Islam back from them and we have established specific instruments for that," Hassan Sheikh, who has announced a sustained crackdown against the militants said. 

The Somali president has been calling on partners to help the country regain ground and the recent successes in Hiiraan, Galgaduud, and Bay regions have been instrumental to the country, whose army is fighting along local militia and peacekeeping mission troops to liberate strategic towns.

On Saturday, Jubaland President Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe said the country has since changed its strategy in the fight against Al-Shabaab, adding that the security teams will no longer sit and wait fit the militants to attack innocent civilians across the country.

"We have been on the defensive a lot; we are going to be on the offensive," said Madobe. " We have been here before but this time we just have to be smart and chase away these people once and for all.

They do not have the strength to withstand an operation from a determined nation."This comes as the Somali National Army announced capturing Labi-Dulle village as Al-Shabaab terrorists fled before the troops arrived.

The location is about 16KM from El-lahelay, an area of the towns between Dhusamareb and El-Bur of the Galgadud region, state media reported.

Earlier, the Al-Shabaab ringleader with a huge amount of arsenal including a military vehicle surrendered to Somali National Troops in the recently liberated Yasooman village of Hiran regional; pending interrogation,  reports indicated, citing army officer Abdi Mumin Elmi.

GAROWE ONLINE