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2023-03-09 Africa Horn
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Ethiopia sends non-ATMIS troops to Somalia in fight against Al-Shabaab
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[Garowe] A few days after Somalia revealed a planned deployment of more soldiers from the neighboring countries, Æthiopia has become the first nation to send additional troops to the Horn of Africa nation, who are now required to join their compatriots serving in the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS].
Reports indicate that a contingent of Æthiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] soldiers entered Somalia on Monday, in which would raise the number from the current 4,500. The agreement signed indicated that each of the countries was to are 1,000 soldiers.
The new contingent of Æthiopian soldiers will be joining their compatriots in Sectors III and VI where they have been serving for over a decade. Most of the Æthiopian soldiers are stationed in Southwest and Jubaland where they work closely with Somalia National Army [SNA] and their colleagues from Kenya Defense Forces [KDF].
Æthiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya agreed to dispatch soldiers to Somalia following a meeting in Mogadishu which brought together presidents of the three nations and Somalia's Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The new contingent is not going to serve as part of ATMIS but it is not clear if there is an arrangement to have them paid by African Union.
Hussein Sheikh Ali, the presidential security advisor confirmed the agreement but insisted the soldiers will not be part of ATMIS. There are about 22,000 soldiers serving in ATMIS who are selected from Kenya, Djibouti, Æthiopia, Burundi, and Uganda.
"It is their plan to be coming inside Somalia within eight weeks," he said. "Their role is to jointly plan and jointly operate under the command of the Somali security forces," he said. "So, they will be fighting against al-Shabaab
 ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
alongside Somali forces. That is the plan."
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had called for assistance from ATMIS troops noting that his administration is determined to completely crush the turbans. For the last six months, about 600 al-Shabaab forces of Evil have been killed, the highest number in as many months.
"The time-sensitive campaign will prevent any future infiltrating elements into the wider region," the communique read.
Asked why the military operations against al-Shabaab have paused recently, Ali told VOA the government is concluding the first phase of the operations.
"It is a calm before the storm," he said. "We are preparing the second phase ... and with the support of the extra non-ATMIS forces from our neighboring countries joining the fight, it is a planning time, that's why it looks like it is quiet."
He said the objective of the second phase is to be able to take over "every village and town" that al-Shabaab is now controlling. The government has also heavily invested in blocking revenue collection outlets for al-Shabaab as part of a commitment to completely isolate the group.
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Posted by trailing wife 2023-03-09 00:00||
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File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)
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