Somalia militants al-Shabaab are mobilising the youth in Lower Shabelle regions to join the jihad in Mogadishu, residents confirm.
Forces that include the Transitional Federal Government’s military, clan militias and loyalists of the moderate Islamist group, Ahlu Sunna wal-Jamea, have been strongly attacking al-Shabaab positions since last Wednesday.
As a result, the al-Shabaab movement lost their main base in Mogadishu at the former Ministry of Defence headquarters, popularly known as Gashaandhigga.
The pro-government forces are supported by the heavily armed peacekeepers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), enabling them to make progress in the war fronts.
The escalating war is forcing al-Shabaab leaders and militants to call for more volunteers, especially the youth, to join the combat, according to Ali Mohamed Hassan, a media analyst in Mogadishu.
According to Jowhar.com, a Somali news website, the al-Shabaab militants ruling Jowhar town, 90 km north of Mogadishu, are instructing all youngsters to enlist to the movement and join the war in Mogadishu.
The website adds that the order has compelled many youths to flee the town to the countryside, particularly to the farming areas along Shabelle River that passes through the Middle Shabelle region.
No comments:
Post a Comment