Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in the Aden Yabal district yesterday to inspect the military forces’ preparations for upcoming operations in the Middle Shabelle region.
President Mohamud received a warm welcome from Hirshabelle President Ali Gudlawe Hussein, Somali National Army commander Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhyiddin, senior officers of the Somali National Army, and residents.
According to reports, he began discussions with army commanders and officials focused on army preparations, tactics, and the requirements of army forces for the operations. Prior to his visit to Aden Yabal, Mohamud had been in the Mahas district and Dhusamareb town, where he intensified operations. However, the Somali army faced a setback in the Galgadud region.
Reports indicate that government troops retreated from El Dheer, Masagaway, Gal’ad, and Budbud in the Galgadud region after a deadly al-Shabab attack on soldiers in the village of Cosweyne last week.
On Wednesday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and politicians, traditional elders, and lawmakers from the Hawadle community in the Mahas district agreed to intensify military operations against militants in the Hiiraan region.
Beledweyne, located approximately 300 kilometres north of Mogadishu, has recently become the center of local community mobilization against al-Shabab. Local officials, including the former governor of the Hiiraan region and current interim president of Hiiraan State, Ali Jeyte Osman, led community forces who supported the Somali government forces, seizing dozens of villages from the militant group.
