MOGADISHU [SMN] – The president of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent off hundreds of SNA soldiers to the front lines ahead of an imminent assault against Al-Shabaab, the presidency said on Sunday.
The troops from the Gantaal brigade of the National Guard unit have been based at the Gordan base since returning from training in Eritrea last December. Their role in the war is expected to yield fruit and a victory.
In his send-off speech, Mohamud encouraged the soldiers to shine on the battlefields as the government and the people of Somalia all are eager to see a successful operation from the final push to get rid of Al-Shabaab.
In addition, the president said his government is working around the clock to liberate the country, restore law and order and deliver basic service to the citizens who long lived under Al-Shabaab rule.
Kenya, Djibouti, and Ethiopia are set to deploy non-ATMIS forces to Somalia to be part of the planned military operation, which aims to avert Al-Shabaab from sneaking into their borders after defeating the militants in the country.
The Somali government said it is committed to eliminating Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked group that poses a potent threat to the entire Horn of Africa region.
During the first phase of the war, the Somali government said that sustained military operations have succeeded in seizing control of 80 areas and reducing militant attacks across the country by 70 percent.
Al-Shabab was ejected from Mogadishu in 2011 and abandoned most of its strongholds, but it still controls vast rural areas and remains the key threat to peace in Somalia.
