Mogadishu — The commander of the Somali National Army's ground forces, Brigadier General Sahal Abdullahi Omar, has carried out an operational tour of areas along the Shabelle River in the central Shabelle Middle region, military officials said.
The visit focused on assessing security conditions and ongoing operations against the Islamist group Al-Shabaab in riverine areas that have seen repeated clashes.
Accompanied by senior army officers, Omar held meetings with the Balcad district administration, led by district commissioner Qasim Ali Noor, as well as with army commanders deployed in positions along the river.
During the tour, the ground forces chief praised Somali troops for what he described as their "sacrifice and bravery" in confronting the militants, and urged commanders to intensify efforts to defend territory under government control.
The Somali National Army is conducting wide-ranging operations in central regions as part of a broader campaign backed by international partners to dismantle Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked group that has waged a deadly insurgency in the Horn of Africa nation for more than a decade.
