GALKAYO, Somalia – A number of top Al-Shabaab commanders were arrested in Central Somalia on Sunday, officials said, in what could be a major milestone in the fight against the al-Qaeda-linked group that is wreaking havoc in central and southern Somalia.
Galmudug’s security minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi and Mudug governor Abdiladif Muse Nur jointly said security forces in the two states had arrested senior Al-Shabaab members, but did not reveal their details.
In recent months, Mudug has been heavily influenced by the Al-Shabaab war, in which militants target older members of security forces, officials and, to some extent, innocent civilians. A number of people have been killed.
According to officials, the arrested security chiefs of Al-Shabaab in the Mudug region, finance chiefs of Al-Shabaab in the Mudug region and other officials in the movement. The team is now being processed for trial, officials added.
On Sunday, Farmajo received a briefing from SNA and AMISOM chiefs about Al-Shabab attacks on the army’s forward bases in Awdhegle and Barire, Lower Shaballe on April 3, which killed dozens of soldiers. This comes as the outgoing leader faces pressure over his illegal term.
Among those present was Chief of Defense Forces General Yusuf Rageh Odowaa, who has been at the front line in the fight against Al-Shabaab. The president thanked the forces for their commitment in the fight against Al-Shabaab just before he left for DR Congo.
“President Farmajo welcomes our Somali Armed Forces for victorious operations, who recently called it a testament to the courage to protect our nation and citizens as he hosts our Minister of Defense, Somali National Army Director General Odowa Yusuf and AMISOM Force Commander Lt-Gen Diomede Ndegeye, “said the Department of Defense.
Elsewhere, Northeastern State and Galmudug have signed an agreement to fight Al-Shabaab, to free Bacadweyne in the Hobyo district from Al-Shabaab, to share intelligence and to investigate Al-Shabaab jointly. The two states agreed to set aside political differences that have triggered the current political stalemate.
While Northeastern State is pushing for a structured dialogue in Somalia, Galmadug, on the other hand, has supported Farmajo’s period extension. The international community has since called on all stakeholders to return to the negotiating table for the sake of stability.
AXADLETM
