MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Federal and regional police commanders held a meeting in Mogadishu, the Somali capital to discuss the security of the country ahead of ATMIS exit.
At the end of the three-day forum, the spokesperson of the Somali Police Force, Sadik Aden Doodishe said the participants talked about the general security of the country and how to ensure security of the bases vacated by the AU troops.
ATMIS will leave the country in December 2024. The government is preparing 40,000 police soldiers who will be dispatched to the regional states, where AU troops are set to leave.
The preparation coincides with the federal government and the local community fighting for the second year in a row to liberate the country from Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda affiliate.
it is worth noting that Al-Shabaab has been driven out of many areas and districts in central and southern Somalia since the start of the combined offensive in August last year.
AU mission halted the troop drawdown in September after the Somali government requested the UN Security Council a technical pause for three months to avoid a setback.
As many as 3,000 AU soldiers were expected to pull out of the country at the end of September this year after the first phase was successfully drawdown 2,000 soldiers.
