Beledweyne (AX) – There are days in Beledweyne when the air hums with the kind of tension you cannot quite articulate. This Thursday was such a day. Muse Salad Wehliye, the esteemed Governor of Hiiraan, took a momentous step forward, as he examined the newly marshalled ranks of the Ma’awisleey local forces. These troops gathered under the morning sun, preparing for an impending campaign aimed at dislodging the entrenched al-Shabaab sanctuaries in western Hiiraan.
These Ma’awisleey fighters, hailing proudly from the Gaaljecel clan, are not just soldiers. They are neighbors, relatives, and friends, converging to join the government’s fervent push to cleanse their homeland of militant scourges. Governor Wehliye delivered a speech laced with both urgency and an unyielding promise of support. He urged these warriors to double down in their crusades against al-Shabaab. Was it a call to arms or a plea from a leader who knows the stakes are eminently personal?
“Whoever brings the heads of the Khawarij, their wounds, or their weapons will receive a reward. We want the Gaaljecel clan to succeed in this fight, and we, as a government, stand firmly with you,” declared Wehliye.
His words hung in the air, pushing aside murmurings that whispered sinister collaborations between the Gaaljecel people and al-Shabaab. Wehliye did not shy away from addressing these rumors, emphasizing the urgency for local forces to play an indomitable part in dismantling the militant networks. Could there be any greater honor than to rise and act decisively when such calls tug at the threads of one’s very identity?
“We must end the rumors that the Gaaljecel clan and al-Shabaab are intertwined,” he asserted, with the gravity of someone who has seen too many lives upended by lies. “You are being asked to throw al-Shabaab into a hole. As an administration, we are providing you with weapons and military equipment. The east of Hiiraan has been liberated, and now we must unite to secure the west,” Wehliye continued, with a conviction that left no room for complacency.
This deployment of Ma’awisleey forces to western Beledweyne represents an escalation in a long and arduous journey punctuated with significant victories in eastern Hiiraan. There, Somali government troops alongside gallant local militias have etched their mark by pushing al-Shabaab out from pivotal locales. Yet despite these achievements, the shadow of al-Shabaab looms obstinately in the west, compelling a tenacious and spirited offensive.
The scene in Beledweyne is reminiscent of an anecdote an old mentor once shared with me—how battles are fought most desperately when they matter not just to the strategy, but to the very soil where one’s roots are buried. This is no abstract war map; this is home.
As preparations continue under Wehliye’s vigilant gaze, the anticipation in Beledweyne is palpable. Are these just soldiers, or are they the bastions of hope, the embodiment of resistance standing against the tide of extremism? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: history will remember the resolute echoes of this day.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International–Monitoring
