As the Somali army prepares to launch a “second phase” against terrorism, American soldiers have joined, for the first time, Mogadishu’s forces to confront the extremist “Al-Shabaab” movement. An official in the Somali government confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat, on condition of anonymity, that members of the US Special Forces had arrived in Mahas, about 300 km from the capital, Mogadishu, in the Hiran region of central Somalia, to supervise the upcoming attack against Al-Shabaab strongholds.
According to Somali media, US military officials and officers arrived in the area, where they were received by the governor of Mahas, Momin Halan. It quoted local officials as saying that the visit of the American officials falls within the framework of the second phase of the upcoming military operation against the “Al-Shabaab” movement.
On the other hand, the extremist “Al-Shabaab” movement claimed that it had received what it described as intelligence information, the source of which was not specified, about an American plan to return Ethiopian forces to Somalia.
Ali Raji, the movement’s spokesman, claimed, in an interview with a local radio loyal to the movement, the failure of the first phase of the air and ground operation, in which some NATO countries participated. Like the United States, and Turkey, against the movement.
In addition to strengthening its military and logistical support, the United States has set aside, through the State Department’s Reward for Justice Program, a reward of $5 million for information leading to the arrest of the leader and spokesman for the “Al-Shabaab” movement, Ali Raji, who is accused of involvement in terrorist attacks in Kenya. And Somalia, where thousands of innocent people were killed, including American citizens.
The Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, had announced the resumption of the second phase of military operations to liquidate terrorism in a number of regions of the states of Galmudug and Hirschabile, pointing to the intensification of the national army of its military operations against the “Al-Shabab” movement linked to the “Al-Qaeda” organization, and inflicting heavy losses on it, as it is surrounded by fire. Army, extremists in more than one area.
US soldiers join the Somali army against al-Shabaab
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