Somalia announces that it will soon launch a “second phase” of its offensive against Al Shabaab

Jan. 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of Somalia, Hasan Sheikh Mohamud, has assured that the security forces will soon expand operations against the terrorist group Al Shabaab with the start of a second phase in the Southwest region.

“The Somali people have an enemy and it is the Al Shabaab militants, who kill men, women, children and the elderly, all Somalis. The government has set plans to eradicate the terrorists,” he said.

Thus, he has stated that “the first phase is in its final stages and a second phase will begin in the Southwest state”, while calling for “unifying efforts to liberate the nation”, as reported by the Somali state news agency, SONNA.

“If the roads connecting Mogadishu and Baidoa –in the Southwest– are opened and all the terrorists are eliminated, a blockade will not be allowed because the Al Shabaab militants will be eliminated and there will be security for the people,” he argued.

In this sense, he has ordered the troops allied with the opposition in this region to return to their positions after the latest clashes in Baidoa with troops loyal to the Southwest authorities.

The words of the president, who has traveled to the area to try to promote dialogue, come after Al Shabaab has made some progress in the area, taking advantage of security gaps caused by these clashes, as reported by the news portal Goobjoog News.

Somalia has increased offensives against Al Shabaab in recent months with the support of clans and local militias as part of a series of decisions taken by the president, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the country. african country.