MOGADISHU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior African Union (AU) envoy in Somalia on Thursday reaffirmed the pan-African body's commitment to enhancing peace, security, and stabilization efforts in the country amid threats from al-Shabab.
El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, special representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia and head of the AU Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM), also lauded the ongoing joint military operations by AU troops and the Somali Security Forces in some parts of Somalia to counter threats posed by the militants.
"We are supporting our Somali brothers and sisters. Our mandate is to support a Somali-led peace process. The ongoing operations are a priority defined by the government of Somalia, and we are collaborating closely with them to defeat al-Shabab," Diene said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The AU envoy, who made an inaugural visit to Baidoa, the capital of South West State, this week, highlighted the forces' liberation of the strategic town of Barire as well as the villages of Sabid and Anole as significant milestones in Somalia's efforts to defeat al-Shabab.
Diene reiterated AUSSOM's support for sustained operations against the al-Shabab, which has proven its resilience against numerous counterinsurgency campaigns, posing a threat to the stability of Somalia.
He also praised the strong collaboration among key regional and international partners in the country's stabilization efforts. ■
