Somali new army chief assigned

The Somali military has changed its top command as a part of a broader campaign against the local fighter group Al-Shabaab. The changes are set to take place immediately as the country’s army continues to liberate more towns from the militant group.

General Dahir Adan Ilmi and Abdirizak Khalif Ilmi took over as army chief and deputy respectively from Abdulkadir Ali Dini, and Abdulkarim Yusuf Adan who had spearheaded the years long campaign against Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

Before the collapse of the central government in 1991, the new army chief served as a general in the military regime of the late president Mohamed Siad Bare.

Addressing guests shortly after being named the new Somali army chief, Dahir Adan Ilmi vowed to continue the war against the Al-Shabaab from where his predecessors had left.

In a separate event, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called on the new army generals to work on improving the country’s military. The president also said serious efforts needed on the part of the army to improve its image in terms of respecting human rights.

After more than two decades the federal government in Mogadishu can now purchase weapons from the world market. This comes after the UN Security Council in early March adopted a resolution that would partially lift a two-decade arms embargo against Somalia.

As the allied forces continue to liberate more regions from the local fighter group Al-Shabaab, the United Nations Security Council has now extended for 12 more months, the mandate of the 17,700 strong African Union Mission in Somalia.

The Somali government forces are backed by AMISOM troops from the several African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti. And after more than five years, the allied forces have managed to end Al-Shabaab’s five-year stay in all of Somalia’s strategic towns in southern and central regions of the country.