In an attack against Al Shabaab in central Somalia, local militias, civilians, and government security forces are working together, according to US Ambassador to Somalia Larry Andre.
In order to maintain the momentum against Al Shabaab, Ambassador Larry pleaded on the clans to band together and work with the government. The most effective Somali-led initiative in recent memory, according to Andre, was this most recent insurrection.
He said; “We haven’t seen a Somali-led, Somali-initiated offensive against Al Shabab compared to this one. There was a 2019 offensive, but it was not primarily Somali initiated in our judgment. You had the liberation of Mogadishu, which was AMISOM-led at the time. This is easily the greatest offensive and most successful offensive ever, and we say what makes a difference is a combination of the local communities, their uprising supported by Somali security forces.”
The clans “should put their rivalry aside for their shared interest,” Ambassador Andre emphasised.
In the central regions of Somalia, government forces and local militias began an offensive against the militant group al Shabab last month. This resulted in the deaths of over 500 militants and the liberation of over 40 villages.
Abdullahi Nadir, a co-founder of Al-Shabaab, was also killed earlier this month in a US airstrike near Jilib, which is located around 370 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu. It is believed that Ahmed Diriye, the group’s ailing head, would be replaced by Nadir.