By Omar Faruk, MOGADISHU Somalia
The United States is increasing its military assistance to Somalia as the country sees success in battling what the U.S. calls “the largest and most deadly al-Qaida network in the world.”
Sixty-one tons of weapons and
ammunition arrived Tuesday in Mogadishu, the U.S. said in a statement of
support for a historic
Somalia-led military offensive against al-Shabab extremists that has
recaptured dozens of communities since August.
In a separate joint statement
with other leading security partners Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates
and Britain, the U.S. said they will support Somalia’s efforts to manage
weapons and ammunition that could allow the United Nations Security Council to
lift its arms embargo on the country.
“A very productive meeting,”
Somalia’s national security adviser, Hussein Sheikh-Ali, tweeted after the
Washington gathering.
The government of Somalia’s
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared “total war” last year on the thousands
of al-Shabab extremists who for more than a decade have controlled parts of the
country and carried out devastating
attacks while exploiting clan divisions and extorting millions of
dollars a year in their quest to impose an Islamic state.
The current offensive was
sparked in part by local communities and militias driven to the brink by
al-Shabab’s harsh taxation policies amid the country’s worst
drought on record. Somalia’s government quickly lent support. Now
neighbors Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti have
agreed to a joint “search and destroy” military campaign.
Somalia is recovering from
decades of conflict, and the federal government is eager to shed the country’s
history as a failed state and attract investment. Under the current president,
the government is cracking down on al-Shabab’s financial network and
encouraging religious authorities to reject the extremist group’s propaganda —
even enlisting a former deputy al-Shabab leader as Somalia’s
current minister for religious affairs.
The U.S. has an estimated 450
military personnel in Somalia after President Joe Biden reversed his
predecessor Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces. The U.S. supports
Somali forces and a multinational African Union force with drone strikes,
intelligence and training.
The increased support for the
Somalia-led offensive comes as the AU force is set to withdraw from the country
and hand over security responsibilities to Somalia by the end of 2024.
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