Wednesday October 12, 2022
Beledweyne (HOL) - A delegation of federal ministers and lawmakers led by the First Deputy Speaker of the Lower House, Sadia Yassin Hajji Samatar, arrived in Buulaburte town in the Hiiraan region on Tuesday.
Members of the delegation, dressed in military fatigues, were welcomed at the Buulaburte airport by lawmakers already in the district, along with army officers, administration officials, and residents.
Samatar said she travelled to the front lines to provide moral support to government forces and local pro-government militia groups known as Macawisley fighting against the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group al Shabaab.
"I've never been to Hiraan; I've only known it by name. I came to Bulaburte to support you because the people of Bulaburte gave me the most votes in the last election, and I must represent them for their votes. The region of Hiiraan produced the bravest Somali men," the speaker said.
She urged the Hiiraan women to support the joint forces in liberating the militant-controlled areas.
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Abdirizak Omar Mohamed, who was part of the delegation, has commended the government forces and the local militia, saying they have fought bravely.
"The fighting in Hiiraan will continue, and we will bring you whatever you require from the central government. You have demonstrated to the Somali people that al-Shabaab can be defeated," Minister Abdirisaaq said, "You deserve to be visited and supported."
The delegation's visit to Buulaburte comes a day after government forces backed by local militias ended a 12-hour battle against al-Shabab in Jicibow village, about 25 kilometres north of Buulaburte, where the group has recently been based.
Somali National Army (SNA) said Monday its forces killed more than 200 al-Shabab militants while fighting in Jicibow village.
According to the state-owned media, the militants were planning to block the road between Beledweyne and Bulaburde district and stage an attack, but the forces received intelligence in time and foiled the attack.
"They intended to block the road between Buulaburte and Beledweyne towns. But they miscalculated and ended up trapped," the Somali news agency reported.
The Somali forces backed by pro-government militia have liberated over 40 villages and killed over 500 al-Shabab militants in the past three weeks in operations in central Somalia.