Military convoy in central Somalia for the first time in 8 years

On Thursday a military convoy reached central Somalia for the first time in eight years. At least a dozen heavy vehicles, including armoured cars, were dispatched from Mogadishu for the army’s 21st division.

According to the Somali National Army, the division has been battling the Al Shabaab group without any heavy equipment, except for a handful of anti-aircraft guns which had been flown in.

Last week, the military convoy was sent to Guriceel and has since entered the Galgudud area to partake in the offensive against Al Shabaab.

On Thursday, the SNA also announced that it conducted an operation in the Sino-Dhaqa area, killing at least ten Al Shabaab fighters.

According to General Odawa Yusuf Rageh, the commander of the Somali armed forces, the operation was carried out after receiving valuable intelligence about the whereabouts of Al Shabaab militants.

The last time a military convoy travelled to central Somalia was in 2014, highlighting the dominance and influence Al Shabaab exerted in the area.

The al Qaeda-linked insurgent group has been fighting Somalia’s internationally backed federal government for over two decades.