Monday July 17, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's National Security Advisor, Hussein Sheikh Ali, has revealed that the Somali government has acquired a significant arsenal of new weapons and helicopters to bolster its counterterrorism operations.
In an interview with VOA Somali on Monday, the advisor acknowledged that the government procured some of the weapons while international partners donated others. The newly acquired weapons include 120mm mortars, Zu-23 anti-aircraft guns, and helicopters.
"Although the helicopters are currently utilized for casualty evacuation, they can also play an active role in combat operations," he added.
Somalia has been under the United Nations arms embargo for years, which severely limited the government's ability to acquire heavy weaponry. However, Hussein Sheikh Ali emphasized that the federal government now boasts a sufficient number of troops to effectively counter the threat posed by Al-Shabaab across various regions of the country.
He further mentioned that the government is diligently working to lift the arms embargo on Somalia. The advisor noted that to support these efforts; an international donor conference is scheduled to take place in New York in December to raise funds for Somalia's security sector.
ATMIS withdrew 2,000 troops by June 30, and another 3,000 is expected to be withdrawn in September in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670, which mandates ATMIS to also hand over security responsibilities in agreed areas to Somali security forces.
Last week, Al-Shabaab fighters briefly took over the Gariley military base in Jubbaland State, which was recently handed over by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) as part of the drawdown of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops. But, the Jubbaland regional forces re-captured the base after heavy fighting at the base.
The Geriley military base, located about 12 kilometers from the border with Kenya, was handed over to the Somali security forces on June 29.
Al-Shabab has been fighting for over a decade to topple Somalia's central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law.