Tuesday August 8, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - 342 recruits of the Somali National Army from the Danab Advanced Infantry Brigade completed an intensive basic military training program in Somalia.
The graduation ceremony, held at the Baledogle Military Airfield, was attended by the U.S. Embassy to Somalia Chargé d'Affaires Shane Dixon, Somali Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, and Chief of Defence Forces Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhiyadin Addow.
"You, along with other Somali forces, will build Somalia's future, beginning with security," said Dixon. "The United States is united with you in this effort. We will continue to support you to win peace and prosperity for the people of Somalia."
The new soldiers join more than 1,700 US-trained Somali Special Danab Forces, who in the past 12 months, have played a leading role in the fight against al-Shabaab and the liberation of more than 100 towns and villages across central Somalia from the terrorist group's violence and extortion.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Somali Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre announced the initiation of the second phase of the anti-al Shabab operation in the country. He revealed that the operation against al-Shabaab in Galmudug and Hirshabelle States would conclude shortly, with the subsequent operation planned for Jubbaland and the South West regions.
The United States supports the government of Somalia in its campaign to degrade al-Shabaab's ability to conduct attacks across the region, disrupt its illicit financing, and diminish the use of Somalia as a haven to support external terrorist operations that threaten the security of Somalia, the United States, and U.S. interests in East Africa.