Ethiopian leader has offered to help Puntland fight against al-Shabab, as initial reports received by the Security agencies in the semi-autonomous region indicate that the militants are preparing to flee into the region after the Somali Government announced a large offense on the remaining areas still under the Control of the group in Southern Somalia.
Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali who is currently on a five day tour in Addis Ababa met Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Monday in his office. He was accompanied by Puntland Ministers for Interior & Information and the Puntland Defense forces Chief.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed on their bilateral relations and focused on enhancing the Security, trade and Political ties.
A press statement from the Puntland President Office, stated that the two leaders agreed that the al-Qaeda-linked militant group is a big threat to the Horn of Africa. They also agreed on sharing intelligence information.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister pledged to assist Puntland government foil any threats from the militants, as stated in the Press release.
‘’ They also discussed on training and developing the skills of the Puntland Security agencies,’’ was also stated in the Press statement.
Last week, Puntland ministers held a meeting in which they discussed on the developments of anti-Alshabab operations which the Somali Government troops backed by the AU peacekeepers are expected to start soon.
Ayub Abdirahman
Horseed Media
