SNA and AU forces will defeat Al-Shabaab, says Middle Shabelle Governor 

The governor of Middle Shabelle Ali Guud Guudlaawe said Somali National Army (SNA), along with AMISOM troops stepped up ‘the Ultimate Fight’ to defeat Al-Shabaab.

“Al-shabaab will be rooted out of the whole country by SNA and AMISOM in short time. They will no longer bother citizens in the areas under their control at all,” said Guudlaawe.

On 1st may 2016 the group, which wants to topple Somalia’s Western-backed government, said it had killed 32 soldiers in the assault. It was not possible to verify independently the death toll.

SNA forces managed to capture Runirgood the next day.

Somali commander Mohamed Mohamud Sanay said the plan was “his forces take the town and AMISOM forces come with reinforcement”, but that reinforcement did not come.

SNA has resolved to intensify military operations against the group and ensure that they are pushed out of the small pockets in the countryside which they still yield influence.

Operations are being reviewed to increase mobility and counter the asymmetric tactics being employed by the terrorists when launching attacks.

In 2011, AMISOM and Somali national Army forced al-Shabab out of areas south of Mogadishu, but the militants still control some rural areas and carry out deadly attacks in the capital and other areas in central and southern Somalia.