A member of AMISOM on routine surveillance
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Al-Shabab has continued to bite with heinous animosity. Day by day, it continues to battle Somalia’s army and its allies for strategic military bases and locations.
In a recent post on their social media channels, the rag tag armed group claimed to have seized Wargaadhi town, which is in the Middle of Shabelle region, and houses soldiers, special forces and clan fighters.
If it turns out to be true, this advance would enable the al Qaeda-linked group to sever a crucial road between the capital, Mogadishu, 200km (124 miles) to the southwest, and the central Galmudug State.
This would be a major victory as it tries to extend recent gains made in the region.
Hours after this announcement, the Somali army together with its allies came up to deny the claim.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Information, government forces had killed more than 40 people after they tried to attack the base on Thursday morning.
However, sources Habari Daily talked to said that the armed group had taken the town of Wargaadhi after “fierce fighting,” whereby the Government side lost 12 men, mostly clan fighters.
Members of the Somali National Army at an AMISOM training facility
“The Somalia’s military was struggling to send reinforcements because it would need to use routes passing through al-Shabab-held areas. Later, government forces, backed by air strikes managed to recapture part of the town by midmorning,” said a source on condition of anonymity.
Last week, al-Shabab claimed to have seized control of nearby Adan Yabal, a town and logistical hub for government forces about 220km (130 miles) north of Mogadishu, claims that have also been refuted.
Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government for more than 16 years and frequently targets government officials and military personnel.
More troops needed
Meanwhile, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), a peacekeeping mission operating in Somalia is urgently requiring 8,000 additional troops.
Speaking during a ministerial meeting of the Troop Contributing Countries officials pointed out that there is also an urgent need of air assets and improvement in intelligence capabilities to counter the current Al-Shabaab offensives.
The meeting which was attended by the African Union Commission chair, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, the IGAD Executive Secretary, as well as Chiefs of Defense Forces of the Troop Contributing Countries and Somalia, resolved that the peacekeeping mission is facing challenges that need to be urgently addressed.
The mission is also currently facing a funding gap of 25%, which is said to have impacted the capabilities of the force commanders.
The new African Union peacekeeping mission, the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, replaced a larger force in February, but its funding is uncertain as the United States remains opposed to transitioning to a United Nations financing model.
The meeting, which took place in Entebbe, Uganda this week, further disclosed that it’s imperative to address fundamental challenges such as the need for additional troops, and establishing backup supply mechanisms, if the mission is to be accomplished.
AUSSOM involves troops from various African Union member states, with Uganda contributing the largest number, followed by Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.
