Somalia president: I have no doubts, we shall win Al-Shabaab war

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Somali National Army [SNA] with support from international partners will win the war against Al-Shabaab militants, President Hassan Sheikh maintains, while defending the recent withdrawal of troops from liberated towns, terming the move as "strategic".

Last week, the Somali National Army started withdrawing troops from the frontline, following massive setbacks in Cawsweyne village where dozens of soldiers are believed to have been killed by Al-Shabaab. The militants struck just after soldiers had seized the town from them.

In an interview on Friday, President Hassan Sheikh maintained that despite the setbacks on various fronts, the army will eventually liberate the country from the chains of Al-Shabaab militants, who are fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

According to him, the government is remobilising the troops to hold the areas already recovered and move forward, following the downfall in Cawsweyne. The government has remained mum over the attack in which Al-Shabaab claimed to inflict massive losses on the national army.

The president admitted that his government should have requested postponing the next African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] drawdown until Dec 2023, rather than Sept 2023. From this month, 3,000 more soldiers are expected to leave the country in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan [STP].

Further, President Hassan Sheikh insisted that ATMIS has not received the enablers, including helicopters, that they were expecting to receive to support ongoing military operations by Somali forces. In June 2023, at least 2,000 soldiers were withdrawn from the Horn of Africa nation.

The first phase of operations against the Al-Shabaab left close to 3,000 militants dead according to statistics from the government of Somalia. The second phase is expected to kick off soon in Jubaland and Southwest states, Hassan Sheikh confirmed but did not explain the reasons behind the delay.

Meanwhile, former HirShabelle President Mohamed Abdi Ware who is currently the presidential advisor on stabilization has warned that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud should not allow Defence Minister Abdikadir Mohamed Nur to participate actively in frontlines across the country.

"Dear President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, for his safety, for the salvation of the operation against the Shabaab and for your integrity, don’t bring this gentleman, his minions and those responsible for the Coosweyne and Galacd debacles to Maxaas. It will not end well," he said without giving further details.

GAROWE ONLINE