Security chiefs craft united front against Al-Shabaab after Oct 14 attack in Mogadishu

Officials from the Somali Federal Government, African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), United Nations and other International Partners at attend a joint crisis management meeting on the review of the 14 October Zoobe Junction bombing. This meeting was held at AMISOM Mission Headquarters in Mogadishu on October 25, 2017. AMISOM Photo / Ilyas Ahmed

Security chiefs held a crisis meeting Tuesday to deliberate on a common strategy against further terror attacks in the country following the October 14 truck bombing in the capital Mogadishu which claimed over 300 lives.

The meeting which brought together newly appointed chief of defense forces Major General Abdiweli Jama Hussein, UN and Amisom heads discussed a coordinated approach among the three entities in light of an expected response which President Mohamed Farmaajo has vowed to launch against the militant group Al-Shabaab.

Deputy Head of Amisom Simon Mulongo said the meeting had agreed on a raft of measures to ensure Al-Shabaab does not have the capacity to conduct any further attacks.

“We have of course agreed on some measures which I cannot elaborate here but which will ensure that we deny the enemy (Al-Shabaab) freedom of organization and freedom of action. Those measures are much more elaborate and they are going to be elaborated on more as we go by,” said Mulongo.

Mulongo said the meeting also established a technical team to work out coordinated and orderly command and control issues in addition to working with the federal government to build a more effective response mechanism in the event of future incidents.

The meeting which comes ahead of the National Security Council meeting chaired by President Mohamed Farmaajo Saturday also sought to develop a support framework for the post recovery process following the October 14 attack.

“Now that the recovery operations are over and we are in the period of reconstruction and rebuilding,” deputy UNSOM chief Raisedon Zenenga said, “The main task falls on our UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) colleagues who are helping the government to assess the structural damage to the remaining buildings and what can be done to reconstruct the buildings and also to build the capacity that has been lost in the adjacent ministries, but going forward, also help build the capacity to respond in future which is more important.”

Gen. Hussein said a coordinated approach between the Somali National Forces and international partners was crucial in ensuring a win against Al-Shabaab.

“There are a lot of challenges that need to be addressed at the moment which requires us to be united. We have to move forward and that means you have to do your part. We need the support of the international community to find solutions to these issues.”