Saturday June 22, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud received credentials from the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Richard H. Riley, inside Mogadishu's airport on Friday.
Ambassador Riley thanked the Somali government for the warm welcome and presented his plan to strengthen diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two governments. He also shared a message and greeting from the President of the United States, Joe Biden.
President Mohamud also met with General Michael E. Langley, Commander of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), alongside Ambassador Riley, to discuss Somalia-U.S. strategic security cooperation and joint counter-terrorism efforts.
The arrival of the new ambassador comes amid reports that al-Shabab has reversed all gains made by the Somali National Army in central Somalia over the last two years and is now working with Houthi militants to expand its capabilities.
According to senior U.S. defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, the Somali National Army's campaign in central Somalia had put al-Shabab "on the back foot" for the past two years. "But what we've seen is they [al-Shabab] have reversed all of those gains over the last six months," one of the officials said.
The country has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabab and the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.