Somalia’s army Odawaa Yusuf has confirmed that the army trained in Eritrea and returned to the country last week, will soon join the fight against the Al-Shabaab group.
The first plane that carried part of the forces trained in Eritrea landed in Mogadishu on the 21st of December, followed by several other planes.
According to reliable sources so far five army planes have landed, although it is not officially known how many troops have been brought. Some reports say that more than 1,000 soldiers have arrived in Mogadishu.
The army will now be deployed to the battlefield, according to Somali National Army Chief Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rageh.
The army commander did not say which regions will be deployed. However, he pointed out that these forces will play an important role in liberating Al-Shabaab from many territories that are currently in their hands.
The Minister of Defense of Somalia, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama, has already said that the return of this army is of particular importance to the Somali people and the Ministry of Defense, and they will add new blood to the operations against Al-Shabaab.
Attacks against Al-Shabaab have increased as the army has taken over key towns. Al-Shabaab is now on the verge of losing the entire central region, such as Mudug and Galgaduud.
On the other hand, the Somali federal government and the regional governments are discussing in Mogadishu how to cooperate in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
President Hassan Sheikh recently said that the regional governments of Al-Shabaab’s territory should be tolerated immediately and the government should never engage in other work until Al-Shabaab is cleared from their territory.
