Somalia: Military takes full charge of Mogadishu security after attacks

MOGADISHU, Somalia - After series of Al-Shabaab attacks in Mogadishu that included car bombings at the Presidential Palace in this month, the military took control of security in the capital, Garowe Online reports.

Sources said that Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo ordered the military to take full charge of the city’s protection after the Prime Minister’s new security plan has failed to effectively succeed.

Hundreds of soldiers from the 14th October battalion have been deployed in most parts of the capital on Monday, taking over the security responsibility from Mogadishu stabilization unit forces.

The 14th Oct brigade made up of new recruits was formed following last year’s truck bomb at Zoobe junction in Mogadishu, the deadliest in Somalia's modern history as it left more than 500 people dead.

As the government was struggling to restore peace and stability in the city, it established a joint force drawn from Police, Military and Intelligence soldiers on the eve of last Holy month of Ramadan.

The Mogadishu stabilization forces have been operating numerous Security checkpoints set up in the city since May and blocked roads hampering civilian movement for the past two months.

The change came after President Farmajo has ordered the security agencies to reopen major roads in the capital and come up with a new strategy for the national security after attacks outside Villa Somalia, the Presidential Palace.

Mogadishu, a large city on the east African nation's coast, endured high levels of violence for years. Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group carried out deadly bombings, trying to topple the Western-backed weak Somali government.

GAROWE ONLINE