Saturday August 9, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) –
Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi has accused unnamed foreign powers of
directly supporting the Al-Shabaab militant group in an alleged bid to
destabilize and take control of the country.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday after government
forces recaptured the town of Bariire in the Lower Shabelle region on Saturday,
Fiqi said the Somali government had successfully thwarted these plans.
“We clearly know that foreign governments are supporting the
Al-Shabaab group to take control of the country, but fortunately, the Somali
government has succeeded in preventing this,” the minister said.
While he did not name the countries allegedly involved,
recent reports have suggested that Al-Shabaab has cooperated with Yemen’s
Houthi rebels.
The minister vowed that Somali security forces would
continue fighting both terrorist groups and any entities that support them to
safeguard national security and stability.
The Somali National Army (SNA), in cooperation with the
Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) under the African Union Transition
Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), killed more than 100 Al-Shabaab fighters and
captured several others during a week-long operation in Lower Shabelle, the
Defense Ministry said Friday.
