MOGADISHU, Somalia, August 27, 2015 (Garowe Online)-The Chairman of federal-level parliamentary sub-committee on Defense has disclosed that Somali National Army (SNA) and African Union peacekeepers do not cooperate in the offensives against Al Shabaab militants, Garowe Online reports.

Speaking at a parliamentary session in Mogadishu, Hussein Arab Isse said, both AMISOM field commanders and Somali military officers confirmed the lag in the coordination.

“When we asked AMISOM commanders, they told us that there’re no intermediaries between residents in the newly liberated areas and African Union peacekeepers due to the absence of the [role] of Somali troops in [anti-militant pushes],” Isse told Somali MPs.

He noted that they are investigating the reasons behind the lack of cooperation between African Union troops and Somali forces.

He faulted unprecedented pullout by AMISOM from liberated areas on the missing joint operations.

Over 22,000-strong peacekeepers are fighting alongside Somali government forces to flush militants out of fewer bastions remaining under their control. 

GAROWE ONLINE