Somali forces have defeated Al-Shabaab, says President Mohamud

Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh said his country government with military support from African Union’s peacekeeping forces defeated have Al-Shabaab fighters.

In an interview with Turkish Anadolu Agency, the president said the group’s time  is over.

“Somalia “has become one of the few countries to have managed to reduce the threat of terrorism and it will get rid of the Al-Shabaab tumor soon” said Mohamud.

Mohamud underscored the importance of fighting Al-Shabaab by preventing religious radiculisation and violent extrimisim ideas.

“The tools [to win] this war will come through encouraging education and opening scientific and intellectual centers to fight the terrorists’ ideas, as well as fighting against poverty, which indeed feeds the ideas of extremism,” he noted.

Last week Somalia said at the UN General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting, Al-Shabaab group controls less than 10 per cent of the country and many of its leaders had been killed or have defected in recent months.

Somali government has stepped up operations to secure the capital city ahead of Somalia’s parliamentary and presidential elections.

Somali government has been fighting  with Al-Shabaab fighters for nearly decade.

Al-Shabaab wants to overthrow internationally recognised Somali government.

The group vowed to disrupt Somalia’s upcoming elections which scheduled to take place later this year.