The head of the Somali Army, Odaua Yusuf, has stressed that the authorities «will not stop» the offensives against Al Shabaab until «eliminating» all members of the terrorist group, amid an upsurge in operations, especially in the center of the country.
«We will never stop the ongoing military operations until we have eliminated the Al Shabaab terrorists,» Yusuf said, as reported by the Somali public television network SNTV.
The spokesman of the Somali Ministry of Defense, Abdulahi Ali Anod, has also indicated that the second phase of this military offensive against the group, linked to the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, will start soon, as reported by the Caasimada Online portal.
Somali President Hassan Shaykh Mohamud said on Tuesday that Al Shabaab «is history» and called on the population to «support the liberation operations» of the security forces. He also called for «preparing for a Somalia after Al Shabaab» and for «the reconstruction of the country».
Shaykh Mohamud vowed in mid-November to continue the «all-out war» against the group and stressed that «turning back and defeat are not an option». Somalia has in recent months stepped up offensives against Al Shabaab with the support of local clans and militias as part of a series of decisions taken by the president, who pledged on taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the African country.
