Al-Shabaab continues to disrupt security made on the ground in Somalia and there is a planned offensive by the security forces.
The planned offensive is expected to commence in the coming weeks after Mogadishu received assurances from several African leaders of their unwavering support. Somali leaders including the president have threatened to retaliate for the truck bombing of a busy Mogadishu intersection on Oct. 14 that killed more than 300 people.
A Somali military official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the United States is expected to play a supporting role in the new offensive that President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is set to launch on Saturday.
The offensive involving thousands of troops will try to push al-Shabab fighters out of their strongholds in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions where many deadly attacks on Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and on Somali and African Union bases have been launched.
From Mogadishu, CGTN’s Abdulaziz Billow has more.
