Somalia: Al-Shabaab will be defeated once and for all - president
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Staff Reporter Garowe Online
- Posted On 23-11-2023, 09:31AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud believes Al-Shabaab militants will be defeated soon once and for all following the ongoing crackdown against the group across Somalia, an exercise which has yielded significant results.
Currently, the Somali National Army [SNA] with help from the US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], is involved in strategic operations against the group across Somalia, targeting the group's major strongholds.
At the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Hassan Sheikh maintained that the operation has significantly shaped the fight against Al-Shabaab, noting that the group is losing ground in all frontlines, including where they once controlled with ease.
Somalia has endured a long period of civil war and the beginning of President Mohamud’s second term has been characterised by renewed large-scale operations designed to counter the Al-Shabaab terrorist group. Al-Shabaab, Hassan Sheikh said, can no longer sustain attacks against the government.
"I am confident that, with our common determination and our government and people’s joint efforts, Al-Shabaab can and will be defeated once and for all," said the president, whose fight against Al-Shabaab has been lauded by various security partners across the world.
"To ensure this happens swiftly and sustainably, we need to capitalize on the positive momentum against them in our country," he added, noting that the fight will go on until the group is dislodged from strategic towns across the Horn of Africa nation.
The President’s appearance at RUSI was part of a wider visit to the United Kingdom that began on the 20th of November with the Global Food Security Summit which took place in London. He lauded multi-agency security partners for their support against the war.
Al-Shabaab is facing the deadliest onslaught from the Somali National Army and at least 3,500 of them were killed in HirShabelle and Galmadug states. Somalia is set to activate the second phase of operations against the group in Jubaland and Southwest states.
GAROWE ONLINE
