Over 5,000 Al-Shabaab fighters killed in Somalia within two years - PM

MOGADISHU, Somalia - For the last two years, at least 5,000 Al-Shabaab fighters have been killed in Somalia since August 2022, Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre has confirmed, while reporting on the successes of the operations.

When President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud assumed powers, he announced total war in the fight against Al-Shabaab, activating various operations in central and southern regions, mainly in Galmudug and HirShabelle regional states, which have succeeded in neutralizing the militants.

The PM said on top of the 5,000 fighters killed, 200 districts have been liberated from the militants, who still threaten to overthrow the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia. The militants have lost several frontlines, he added.

"PM Hamza Abdi Barre announced that in the past two years, the National Armed Forces have killed over 5,000 terrorists and reclaimed more than 200 districts and villages from Al-Shabab, bringing peace and a return to normalcy for thousands," state media quoted the PM.

The second phase of operations against Al-Shabaab is targeting Jubaland and Southwest states and about a fortnight ago, the military eliminated close to 135 Alshabaab fighters in the outskirts of Kismayo, the regional administrative capital of Jubaland.

It is anticipated that by the end of this year, just before ATMIS troops hand over to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), the militants will have lost significant territories within the country.

On the threat by Ethiopia which could hinder the fight against Al-Shabaab, Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre said Somalia will not entertain talks with the Horn of Africa nation, adding that its territorial integrity and sovereignty must be obeyed.

"PM Hamza Abdi Barre reaffirmed that unless Ethiopia withdraws the illegal MoU and respects Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, it will not be part of the new AU mission replacing ATMIS in January 2024," he added.

Elsewhere, Mogadishu Mayor Yusuf Madale, with Benadir officials and Islamic scholars, visited security forces on the city’s outskirts. He praised their bravery and pledged to support the families of four soldiers who heroically died preventing an explosives-laden vehicle from reaching the city.

GAROWE ONLINE