Somalia’s path to self-reliance in national security received a major boost today with the handover of assorted, life-saving equipment to counter the persistent threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“Given the nature of the IED threat here in Somalia, it’s essential that we sustain the capabilities of the national security forces and particularly so, now that we’re thinking about the eventual and gradual withdrawal of the AU (African Union) forces,” the Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Ilene Cohn, said during the event. The handover ceremony took place in Mogadishu. Representing the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was its State Minister of Defence, Omar Ali Abdi, along with the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, General Madey Nurey, and other senior officers from the Somali National Army.
Read more…
Source: UNifeed
Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter
Related:
- Somalia: Security forces foil suicide attack in Mogadishu
November 4, 2023
Somali police thwarted a suicide bomber who wanted to attack a busy restaurant near the Sayidka junction in Mogadishu’s Howlwadag district on Friday evening. According to the Police Command, the security forces opened fire when the suicide bomber attempted to cross a security checkpoint at Sayidka Junction. “On the night of 3/10/2023, around 8:45 PM, a ...
- Somalia: Induction Programme equips newly rotated ATMIS Officers for Mission Readiness
November 4, 2023
Twelve staff officers recently deployed to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have successfully completed a rigorous five-day induction and are fully prepared to contribute to the mission’s goals. The induction, a collaborative effort by the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) and United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) ensured a deep ...
- ATMIS police officers sharpen skills on explosive hazard movements in Somalia
October 23, 2023
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Monday its police officers have successfully wrapped up an explosive hazard and awareness training course in Baidoa, southwest Somalia, to ensure the safety and security of the people. The ATMIS said the training featured practical demonstrations on convoy movement planning, countering complex attacks and improvised explosive device ...
- Somalia: Death toll rises to 6 in Al-Shabab attack outside Mogadishu
October 21, 2023
The number of people killed by a car bomb blast that exploded outside the Somali capital, Mogadishu on Saturday morning has jumped to at least 6. The al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for Saturday’s blast, which struck a police checkpoint in Elasha Biyaha area, located about 17 kilometers west of the capital. Read more… Source: Shabelle Media Network
- Somali TV journalist killed in Mogadishu suicide bombing
October 16, 2023
A Somali television journalist was killed Monday evening in a suicide bombing at a restaurant in Mogadishu, police said. Abdifatah Moalim Nur Qeys, who worked for Somali Cable Television, was fatally injured in the explosion at Blue Sky restaurant near the national museum. “At around 21:00 a Khawarij suicide bomber detonated explosives on people who were ...
- African Union backs Somalia’s request to pause troop withdrawal for 3 months
October 6, 2023
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) has endorsed a request by Somalia for a three-month pause in the withdrawal of 3,000 troops stationed in the country, the AU mission said on Thursday. The PSC, which is the standing decision-making organ of the AU for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts, ...
- Kenya to withdraw all troops from Somalia by end of 2024
October 5, 2023
Defense Minister Aden Duale said Wednesday that Kenya Defence Forces troops will complete a withdrawal from Somalia by Dec. 31, 2024. “The last troops are expected to leave Somalia on 31 December 2024 as per the AU (Africa Union) and UN Security Council resolution and plan,” Duale told the Senate. Read more… Source: Shabelle Media Network
- Somali army nabs senior al-Shabab leader in charge of explosives
September 29, 2023
Somali security forces have arrested a senior al-Shabab leader responsible for procuring arms and explosive devices used in carrying out multiple terror attacks across Somalia. The Ministry of Defense said Zakaria Kamal Sufi, who was tasked with procuring arms and explosives from foreign sources to arm al-Shabab terrorists, was arrested in a sting operation. Read more… Source: Xinhua ...
- Somalia: Bomb blast kills at least six in Hiran province
September 29, 2023
At least six people were killed and several wounded Thursday in a bomb blast in Somalia’s central state of Hirshabele. A police officer in Jowhar, the administrative capital of Hirshabele, told the Turkish news agency that the attack involved a car blast that went off near a busy small market in Burloburte in the Hiran ...
- Somalia: Deadly truck explosion hits checkpoint in Beledweyne town
September 23, 2023
The death toll in a truck bomb explosion in the central Somali town of Beledweyne has risen to 18, a top regional official has said, as the Horn of Africa nation battles armed groups. Abdirahman Dahir Gure, the interior minister of Hirshabelle state where Beledweyne is located, announced the latest toll on Saturday in the wake ...
- 11 Somali Soldiers Killed as AU Forces Start Second Round of Troop Drawdown
September 19, 2023
Eleven Somali government soldiers were killed and three others injured in a roadside explosion Monday in the southwestern Gedo region, officials said, as the African Union peacekeeping force began a second round of troop withdrawals. The explosion targeted a convoy of military vehicles between the towns of Luuq and Doolow, deputy governor of security and policy ...
- Somalia: Al-Shabab attacks Ethiopian military convoys in Bakool region
September 17, 2023
Al-Shabab militants attacked convoys carrying Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia’s southwester Bakool region early Sunday, Somali officials said. The ambush targeted two convoys, one traveling from the Somali town of Yeed to Wajid and the second convoy as it traveled from El Barde to the town of Huddur. Ethiopian troops have bases in Wajid and Huddur. A Somali ...
- Somalia: Al-Shabaab Suicide Car Bomb Attack Targets Galmudug leaders
September 15, 2023
In a brazen act of terror, the notorious extremist group al-Shabaab orchestrated a devastating suicide car bomb attack in Laas Ga’amey, Somalia. The attack targeted a gathering of high-ranking politicians, regional leaders, and local militia commanders who had convened to discuss and plan counterterrorism operations. The attack unfolded in the frontline village of Laas Ga’amey, nestled ...
- Somalia: Landmine blast kills regional MP and city councilor in Galgaduud
September 11, 2023
A member of the Galmudug State assembly and a city councilor were killed in an explosion in central Somalia on Monday morning amid an SNA military operation against Al-Shabaab. MP Mohamed Mohamud (Mohamed Yare), a member of the Galmudug Parliament, and Abdullahi Ibrahim, a member of the local council of Dhusamareb city, were killed in an ...
- UNICEF decries increased deaths of children from landmines in Somalia
September 11, 2023
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has expressed concern about increased deaths and serious injuries to children involved in landmine explosions which have claimed at least 30 lives since June in Somalia. Nejmudin Kedir Bilal, acting UNICEF representative in Somalia, said several children have been victims in three separate incidents that involved discharges of unexploded ordnances ...
- Somali army successfully avert major Al-Shabaab attack on base
September 7, 2023
Early in the morning members of the Al-Shabaab group launched a complex attack against the Somali military base in the Nur Dugle area of the Middle Shabelel region. The attack started with a car explosion, which the Al-Shabaab used to detonate at the gate in order to allow fighters on foot to enter the base camp, ...
- Somali president escapes a huge suicide car bombing attack
September 5, 2023
An explosives-laden vehicle targeted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy in the central Somali town of Maxaas on Tuesday, officials have confirmed. Security officials have confirmed that a suicide car bomb exploded as President Mohamud was returning from an address to local clan militia and government forces on the outskirts of Maxaas. Read more… Source: Horn Observer
- What’s next for security in Somalia after the AU mission ends?
August 25, 2023
In a dusty military compound in Somalia’s coastal town of Adale, soldiers from the African Union peacekeeping force and the Somali National Army gathered in a makeshift building. The AU commander gave signed documents to his Somali counterpart, marking the handing over of the military base, approximately 150km from Mogadishu, to the Somali Army. Since the ...
- Somalia: Car bomb explosion hits near stadium in Mogadishu
August 22, 2023
An explosion occurred near Mogadishu Stadium on Tuesday, the latest in a series of attacks in Somalia as the government is now at war with Al-Shabaab. An explosive-laden vehicle was targeted at a main checkpoint near Ifka Halane which is manned by paramilitary police forces who are in charge of the capital’s overall security. Read more… Source: Shabelle ...
- Somalia: Roadside explosion kills at least six in Lower Shabelle province
August 9, 2023
At least six people were killed and 12 others were injured when a roadside explosion hit a minibus in southern Somalia on Wednesday morning, the local governor says. Mohamed Ibrahim Barre, the governor of the Lower Shabelle region, told VOA Somali that the minibus was travelling between Marka and Qoryoley towns. All the victims were civilians, ...
- Somalia: Two Al-Shabab militants killed in blast in the Lower Shabelle region
August 5, 2023
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Friday that two members of Al-Sabah militia were killed when a road bomb, they tried to plant in the Lower Shabelle region, blew up accidentally. The blast took place on the road between area 50 and Lanta-Buro – Al-Sabab’s former stronghold nearly 25 miles (40 km) to ...
- Somalia: Al-Shabab launches bomb and gun attack on SNA base near Kenya border
August 4, 2023
The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants carried out a yet another daring attack in Somalia amidst preparation for final anti-Al-Shabaab push. The Friday morning assault occurred in the vicinity of Dolow near Somalia’s porous border with Kenya, where Al-Shabaab targeted a key SNA base, according to the residents. Read more… Source: Shabelle Media Network
