Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke met with the Deputy Defense Secretary of the United…
Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke met with the Deputy Defense Secretary of the United States of America Bob Work in the Pentagon, discussing on issues related to counterterrorism and other mutual concerns.
Mr Sharmarke along with the Somali defense Minister Gen. Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali Dini discussed with the officials the U.S.-Somali security assistance and ways to simultaneously fight the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
The U.S. officials commended the recent years achievement of the Somali forces in defeating al-Shabaab militants and capturing strategic towns from the group.
However on the fight against al-Shabaab, U.S. officials identified the integration of regional Federal states forces integration into the national army as one of the important strategies to combat the militants.
“Progress on the political front is a necessary foundation for the development of Somali security forces,” It was said in the statement.
The meeting comes as the Somalia Federal government plans to launch an offensive in areas still under the control of al-Shabaab. Top government officials have vowed to
Last week, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the US Department of State Tina Kaidanow visited Somali capital, Mogadishu and hold talks with the leaders of the Somali government.
Over recent years, the U.S. government launched a number of drone strikes in Somalia against al-Shabaab. In September 2014, the former leader of the extremists Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a major U.S. airstrike.
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