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General Indhoqarsho urges military to cooperate more strongly with local militias
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    Thursday October 6, 2022

     

    Mogadishu (HOL) - The former commander of the Somali National Army, General Dahir Aden Elmi (Indhoqarsho), has commanded the ongoing offensive against al Shabab in several parts of the country.

    General Indhoqarsho said in an interview with VOA Somali on Wednesday that the offensive was bearing fruit because the government security forces are cooperating with local militias.

    "It will not be complete if the army and the local people fight on separate frontlines against Al Shabaab."

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    The offensive primarily continues in the Hiiraan region, where government forces backed by local government-allied militia groups have retaken more than 20 villages from militants. 

    General Indhoqarsho said the ongoing offensive was the most significant victory in the fight against al-Shabaab in recent years, and he hopes that other districts will join the fight.

    "It is the people's responsibility, with the government's support, to protect their neighbourhood." The army lacks the authority to send troops to every neighbourhood. When the military liberates the district, the residents must be protected, and the government must support them."

    He suggested that government authorities establish medical centers in the regions to treat those injured in the fighting.

    "For instance, if there is a fight in Hirshabelle state, I would suggest that a field hospital be built in Bulaburde district, as well as hospitals in Galmudug, Bakool, and Galmudug to treat the army and civilians."

    He emphasized that it is the best time for the people to free themselves from Al Shabaab.

    The U.S. military killed a leader of the al-Shabaab group with an air strike in Somalia over the weekend. The insurgents claimed responsibility for a new attack in Beledweyne that killed more than 20 people.

    Somalia's government said the leader was one of the co-founders of the al-Qaeda-linked movement that has killed tens of thousands of people in bombings since 2006.

    Abdullahi Nadir, who played many senior roles within al-Shabaab, was said to have been in line to replace the group's ailing leader, Ahmed Diriye. 

    There was no immediate comment on the strike from al-Shabaab.

    On Monday, at least 20 people were killed and 36 others wounded in the central Somali town of Beledweyne in the explosions of three car bombs. Two blasts rocked the city at around 10:30 a.m. local time, followed by a third car bomb in the afternoon.

    Among those killed were the deputy governor of the Hiiraan region, Abukar Sheikh Madey, and the region's health minister Zakariye Mohamed Ahmed.
     

     





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