President Farmaajo commissions first public defense recruits

President Mohamed Farmaajo Saturday commissioned the first batch of 600 police recruits for public defense in response to the president’s call to the youth to defend the country following the October 14 terror attack in Mogadishu will killed over 400 people.

The president hailed the youth for their commitment to defend the country stating the future of the country lay on the sacrifices the young people are willing to make.

“You are the first patch of youth that responded to my call and stood to sacrifice their lives for their country, to die for their religion, to save their people. You are the future of Somalia. Every country in such a situation is being saved by its young people,” the president said.

President Farmaajo last month called on the youth to defend the country noting it was time the public complimented government’s efforts in fighting extremism.

Speaking in the same function, the president thanked religious scholars for their efforts in confronting extremist ideologies in the country adding Islam does not condone killing of innocent people.

“We are grateful to our Islamic scholars all they have done on awakening Somali people to defend their religion because we know these people [Alshabab] are not adherents of Islam. It means our Islamic scholars stood up explaining [the true meaning of Islam] to the people.”

“Islam does not permit killing innocent people. It’s a good, developmental, peaceful, tolerant and civilized religion. What those people are fighting for is not religious cause” he said.