Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Catriona Laing, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), in Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galmudug State, on Sunday.
President Mohamud and the envoy engaged in discussions to enhance cooperation to ensure essential security, facilitate humanitarian aid, and drive sustainable development.
The discussions also touched on the government’s strategy to stabilize areas liberated from terrorism and address providing essential services to communities that have endured years of living under terrorist rule and difficult humanitarian conditions.
President Hassan Sheikh emphasized that the ongoing anti-al-Shabab operations were progressing smoothly in the Galmudug region, with the objective of liberating areas still under al-Shabab control.
The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia welcomed the Somali-led operations to liberate the country. She underlined that President Hassan Sheikh’s presence in Galmudug State conveyed a powerful message about the people’s struggle for liberation, the reopening of roads previously cut off by terrorists, and the collective efforts to counter attacks against the Somali population.
In the past two days, the Somali National Army, backed by international partners, killed over 40 al-Shabab militants through several distinct military operations in the Bay and Lower Shabelle regions.
The Ministry of Defence has officially confirmed the elimination of 23 terrorists, which includes two commanders. This operation, which took place on Saturday, targeted a checkpoint, a garage for gathering explosives and an administrative office used by leaders in Bula-Fuley, in the Bay region on Saturday.
In a subsequent military operation on Sunday, 18 al-Shabab militants were eliminated during an engagement in the villages of Baladul-Amin and Baladul-Karim in the Lower Shabelle region.
According to government officials, the troops attacked farms based on intelligence that indicated the militants had covertly assembled within these farming areas.
The government forces have sustained their attacks against al-Shabab since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an all-out war against the militants in 2022.
