The Federal Government of Somalia has upon completion of specialized training removed a unit of National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Forces from Mogadishu to the frontlines, particularly the Hiiraan region of central Somalia.
The troops, who departed from Mogadishu, have now arrived at the battlefield, where they will actively participate in ongoing military operations against the militant group Al-Shabaab. These forces received specialized combat training specifically catered to anti-terror missions.
Reports indicate that these newly deployed forces are currently occupying positions between Buuloburde and Jalalaqsi in which government troops and allied local militias known as ‘Macawiisley’ are working to retake from the militants.
Reliable sources have confirmed that the NISA troops are heavily armed with military vehicles and have begun establishing new bases of operations in the Buuloburde district, a strategic area in the Hiiraan region.
This deployment is to upgrade military operations meant to ward off Al-Shabaab members, crossing from the riverine area to Hiiraan.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who earlier bade farewell to the troops before they embarked for the front, said their primary mission was to dismantle Al-Shabab’s hideouts. He asserted that the forces had undergone intensive training in Turkey, making them specialists on counterterrorism missions.
Although military offensives against Al-Shabaab have tapered off in recent months, the Somali government is now intensifying efforts to re-launch major military operations against the group, with military campaigns under way across multiple regions.