http://www.voanews.com/content/amisom-expands-operations-against-al-shabab-in-somalia/1870507.html
AMISOM Expands Operations Against al-Shabab in Somalia
Gabe Joselow
March 13, 2014
NAIROBI -- African Union forces said they have reclaimed more territory from
the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab in renewed military operations
across Somalia. Restoring the government's political authority remains a
pressing challenge.
The AU peacekeeping force in Somalia, known as AMISOM, said Thursday that
Djiboutian soldiers have taken control of territory in Hiraan region, north
of the capital, extending recent military gains.
"There are small towns toward which Djiboutians are now moving, but the
objective is far beyond that," said AMISOM spokesman, Colonel Ali Hamud.
VOA's Somali Service reported that Djiboutian, Ethiopian and Somali troops
recaptured Buloburbe, a town in Hiraan about 125 kilometers north of
Mogadishu.
In the past week, Ethiopian soldiers under AMISOM retook control of several
key towns in southwestern Somalia.
Somali officials said in some cases al-Shabab had fled from their positions
before confronting the advancing soldiers.
The current operations represent the most significant progress regional
forces have made against the militants since 2012, when the Kenyan military
took control of the port city of Kismayo.
But military success does not come without challenges.
Mahamed Muse Tarey, executive director of the Somali Institute for Policy
and Strategic Studies, notes that political disputes can arise quickly when
territory is rapidly reclaimed.
"What we have realized before, is that some area was liberated from
al-Shabab but there was not a political strategy in place. And what
happened, there was a power vacuum, but also clan in-fighting." Tarey
stated.
Kismayo serves as an example. After al-Shabab fled the city, a power
struggle emerged between the Somali federal government, a Kenyan-backed
regional leader and other local actors. At one point, five different men
claimed to be the president of a newly formed state around Kismayo.
The next challenge could be Gedo region, which borders both Ethiopia and
Kenya in southwestern Somalia, and where AMISOM has seized territory from
al-Shabab.
Tarey, who comes from Gedo, sees the possibility of a struggle for
influence between Somalia's neighbors. "Because Kenya wants certain people
to come forward, Ethiopia might come up with the people, there will be a
circle of conflicts and conflicts and conflicts if they do not come up with
a common strategy where the government has a role," he stated.
In a message earlier this week, al-Shabab's leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane,
called on Somalis to take up
arms<
http://www.voanews.com/content/somali-au-troops-retake-towns-from-al-shabab/1867911.html>against
Ethiopian forces inside Somalia.
Despite losing territory to AMISOM in recent years, the militant group has
continued to launch suicide attacks against government and international
targets, including an assault on the presidential palace in Mogadishu last
month that killed at least 17 people.
Received on Thu Mar 13 2014 - 15:49:46 EDT