The operations were carried out by Special Forces trained to tighten the security of the capital focused on the Hamar-weyne and Hamar-Jajab districts, where the security forces entered several houses.
Chief commander of Banadir region security forces Kalif Ahmed Ereg spoke to the media after the operation, and said that these ongoing operations have led successful arrests and have improved the security of the capital. “Due to the operation, almost 40 people were caught: some suspected al-Shabaab members, other carrying illegal weapons, as well as government forces that were caught carrying guns inside the town and the populated areas,” he said.
“The troops have carried out their operation very carefully. By focusing on solid leads and suspected bases, they captured weapons and the uniform of the TFG forces illegally being used by people,” he added.
On Saturday, officials from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), including the chief commander of AMISOM General Fred Magusha met in Mogadishu with the administration of Banadir region, including the chairmen of the 16 Mogadishu districts, and discussed how to tighten the security of the capital. According to TFG officials, it was agreed to continue operations against al-Shabaab militants and to eradicate them from Mogadishu to establish security.
TFG Declares Amnesty to Al-Shabaab Fighters
Chief commander of the Somali National Forces General Abdukadir Dini has offered amnesty to al-Shabaab fighters who surrender, and called for the al-Shabaab youth who are in Bay and Bakool regions in southern Somalia to surrender themselves to the TFG and take advantage of the amnesty.
“If they don’t surrender, we will crush them and will not have mercy on them. The national forces have already captured Baidoa, which is the base of those regions and we will not stop our operations until we took control of the whole regions,” he told the local media.
He stated that it’s time to shove al-Shabaab into the past, and to move away from fighting and destruction and towards the reconstruction of the country, which has suffered more than 21 years of civil war.
Recently, TFG forces backed by Ethiopian troops seized strategic districts in Bay and Bakool regions, including the town of Baidoa, which is one of the largest bases of al-Shabaab in southern Somalia.