Mogadishu, Somalia — The President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has last night addressed the nation in a pre-recorded televised speech after he returned from Eritrea.

His 17-minute speech focused on the general situation in the country, especially the war against the Al-Shabaab waged by the army and the local fighters known as Ma'wisley.

The head of state said that the army made gains in the war and expressed regret that there are still Somali boys and girls who shed their blood in communal or political wars that can be resolved without bullets.

The president has encouraged the country's armed forces and local residents to fulfill the commitment to free the Somali people from Al-Shabaab and the entire Horn of Africa country.

"Heroes, you are a light for the freedom of the Somali people that you were born from, and they will reap the fruits of peace that you have sacrificed today with your blood," he added.

Hassan Sheikh promised that he would spend time on the war frontlines with the troops, noting that his government's decision to fight against Al-Shabaab had been successful.

In August 2022, the Somali president declared an all-out war against Al-Shabaab after the militants laid a deadly siege at the Hayat hotel in Mogadishu, which left at least 21 dead.

As part of the operation, security forces have been targeting al-Shabaab's main command centers in central Somalia after they failed to dislodge the militants from Hirshabelle and Galmudug states during the first phase of the counter-insurgency offensive and the expansion to Galmudug state.