Somali army, Ugandan African Union forces launch joint operation against al-Shabaab in south
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\nThe Somali army, backed by Ugandan troops from the African Union mission (AUSSOM) and other foreign partners, launched a fresh operation named \u201cOperation Rolling Thunder\u201d in southern Somalia to target strongholds of the al-Shabaab terror group, Anadolu Agency reported.<\/p>\n
The ministry said the forces are focusing on dismantling key al-Shabaab positions in the Lower Shabelle region and disrupting the al-Qaeda-linked group\u2019s access to the routes used for terrorist activities.<\/p>\n
It said the operation aims to weaken al-Shabaab\u2019s operational capacity, remove remaining fighters plotting attacks, and safeguard civilians along with key agricultural and production areas.<\/p>\n
The ministry vowed that Operation Rolling Thunder will continue until the terrorist group is \u201cfully eradicated as a threat to peace, progress, and state-building in Somalia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Shabaab has been engaged in an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, frequently targeting security forces, officials and civilians.<\/p>\n
Since last July, the Somali army, with the support of the AUSSOM and other international partners, has stepped up operations against the group.<\/p>\n
The AUSSOM\u2019s mandate was renewed for another year by the UN Security Council in December, with a UK-backed resolution extending its authorization until Dec. 31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Somali army, Ugandan African Union forces launch joint operation against al-Shabaab in south —————————————— The Somali army, backed by Ugandan troops from the African Union mission (AUSSOM) and other foreign partners, launched a fresh operation named \u201cOperation Rolling Thunder\u201d in southern Somalia to target strongholds of the al-Shabaab terror group, Anadolu Agency reported. The ministry …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[6060],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\n