Jubbaland Regional State President Ahmed Mohamed Islam chaired a Cabinet of Ministers meeting on Sunday to discuss plans for anti-al Shabaab operations aimed at liberating areas under the group’s control in Jubbaland State.
The meeting took place just hours after the Somali National Army’s elite Danab unit, supported by international security partners, carried out an aerial and ground operation that killed over 40 al-Shabaab terrorists, including key leaders.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Sunday’s operation was carried out with support from international security partners and targeted a gathering place used by the terrorist group in the village of Welmaro. Welmaro is located 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the town of Afmadow in the Lower Jubba region in the southern state of Jubaland.
The Danab unit and the Jubbaland Dervishes, a local paramilitary force, also conducted a separate successful operation against al-Shabaab in the town of Hagar, also in Lower Jubba.
While the regional Council commended the recent joint security forces operations in Jubbaland, involving federal troops and Jubbaland forces, President Ahmed did not disclose when the operations would resume in Jubbaland.
Bu’ale, is under the control of the terrorist al-Shabaab.
Jubbaland senior politicians who on Saturday formed a Union of Presidential Candidates for the Jubbaland Regional State have accused President Ahmed Madobe of failing to liberate any villages from al-Shabaab during his 13-year tenure.
President Ahmed Madobe has been re-elected three times as the president of Jubbaland.
Al-Shabaab has been conducting a violent insurgency in Somalia for over a decade, and the group has been blamed for a series of deadly attacks in the country, including bombings, assassinations, and suicide attacks.
The group still poses a significant threat to the stability of Somalia and the wider region.
According to the United Nations, al-Shabaab has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Somalia, and the group has continued to carry out attacks despite being forced out of many urban areas by government forces. The UN has called for continued efforts to combat the group and ensure the safety and security of the people of Somalia.
The Jubbaland State Cabinet’s meeting underscores the government’s commitment to combating al-Shabaab and liberating areas under the group’s control.
