Al-Shabaab raids KDF's newly handed over base in Somalia

KISMAYO, Somalia - In what would be a setback to the ongoing drawdown of troops attached to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], the Al-Shabaab militants on Tuesday raided one of the newly handed over Forward Operating Base [FOB] in Somalia, a country which has been struggling with instability.

According to reports, the militants raided Gherille Forward Operating Base which was handed over to the Somali National Army [SNA] last week by the Kenya Defense Forces [KDF], who are set to leave the country after a successful tour of duty. The base is one of the seven FOBs which have been handed over to the Somali government.

But reports indicate that a fierce gunfight ensued between the militants and the SNA troops on-site, forcing the terrorists to flee from the area. Gherille Forward Operating Base is located in the Gedo region of Jubaland state which is under the control of Jubaland regional troops.

The attack on the base comes at the time 2,000 soldiers attached to the peacekeeping mission are set to leave the country following the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan [STP]. By the end of September, it is anticipated that an additional 3,000 contingent of the ATMIS soldiers would have left the country on top of the initial 2000.

The drawdown is also coming at the time Somalia is plotting the final assault on the Al-Shabaab in Jubaland and Southwest states where some peacekeepers will take part. Regional troops, SNA, ATMIS, and the US Africa Command soldiers are expected to help in the liberation of the remaining parts of Jubaland.

So far, the Somali National Army has not made public the number of casualties in the attempted run over but the Al-Shabaab has heightened the scale of the attacks to showcase their ability to sustain operations. The militants have also been targeting military bases in recent weeks.

The government of Somalia had announced that over 20,000 soldiers had been prepared to take over security responsibilities once ATMIS soldiers leave the country. But there are concerns over the ability of the national army to fully take charge of the bases which will be handed over by December 2024.

GAROWE ONLINE