(WIC – February 22, 2011) The coordinated military operations to wipe out al-shabaab in Somalia have left fighters of the al-Qaeda linked extremists in ‘disarray’, a government official says.
Kenyan, AMISOM, Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allied militias, who are joined by Ethiopian troops, are carrying out an offensive against al-Shabaab in various parts of Somalia.
In an exclusive interview with WIC, Getachew Reda, Public Diplomacy and Communications Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the terrorist group is greatly weakened.
“Al-Shabaab at this point in time is in disarray. They are only left with heinous crimes of suicide bombings,” Getachew told WIC. “Al-shabaab, as a fighting force, is very likely to disappear.”
The official said the operation would continue until al-shabaab, as a fighting force, is wiped out or too weakened to launch any ‘significant’ attack.
Kenya sent troops across its border into Somalia in October to battle al-shabaab. African Union forces, made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti are fighting the group from the capital Mogadishu.
“There is no unified command [of these operations]. However, the military offensives against al-shabaab are carried out in a coordinated manner with each having their own zones of operations,” Getachew said.
In December, Ethiopian forces fighting alongside pro-TFG militias in Somalia managed to uproot al-shabaab fighters from Baledweyne, Hiran region in central Somalia.
According to the official, Ethiopia has done a significant part of its job by handing over the liberated areas to militias who have aligned themselves with the TFG.
Ahead of tomorrow’s London conference on Somalia that aims to pull together international efforts, Getachew stressed the need to further strengthen the political process in Somalia.
He urged political actors in Somalia, including the international community, to bring their efforts together for a lasting peace and stability to Somalia.
“The military solutions can only create an enabling condition for putting in place a political structure that will effectively address the problems of Somalia,” Getachew said.
The conference is expected to bring together over 40 governments and multilateral organizations with an aim to step up its efforts to tackle both the root causes and effects of the problems in Somalia. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has flown to London to take part in the conference.
The official said terrorist groups like al-shabaab are emboldened because of support coming from the likes of the Eritrean regime and called on the international community to take a ‘serious action’ against the regime in Asmara.
Source: Walta Information Center
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