Somalia: Mogadishu gets new police boss after Al-Shabaab killed the ex-chief

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Colonel Mahdi Omar Mumin will now take over as the police boss for the Banadir region, which hosts the Somali capital Mogadishu, just days after Al-Shabaab claimed the life of the former boss.

The new police boss will take over from slain Banadir police chief Farhan Qarole, who died last month in a bomb attack instigated by the Al-Shabaab militants, who control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia for the last 14 years of agony in the Horn of Africa nation.

Qarole, who was mourned as competent by most senior government officials including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was killed by Al-Shabaab near Bal'ad town within Middle Shabelle during an operation against Al-Shabaab.

Mumin's tenure comes at a time the country is struggling to contain Al-Shabaab in several parts of the country including in the capital Mogadishu. The Somali capital has been a major target for the militants who usually pursue top government officials, military officers, and innocent civilians.

Although the security within the capital has improved, the government of Somalia has vowed to continue pursuing the militants across the country. Currently, the military, with the assistance of the US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] is fighting against Al-Shabaab in central and southern Somalia.

Over the weekend, the Somali National Army announced, over 200 Al-Shabaab militants were killed during operations in the Hiran region, with major gains reported in Galgaduud, Hiiraan, and Bay regions. In some parts, organized local militia have been assisting the military.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has pledged to ensure the militants are completely wiped from the country, adding that the war will be fought both militarily and ideologically. The militants have been waging retaliatory attacks in some parts of Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE