The Janale District Commissioner, Mr. Abdirahaman Ali, underscored the importance of coordination between security organs in the district to secure people and their properties from the Al-Shabaab.
The call was made at the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Janale Forward Operating Base (FOB) during the joint stakeholders’ security meeting. “To maintain the fight against Alshabaab, coordination is paramount. Share intelligence and work as a team,” said Mr. Abdirahaman.
The Commissioner, thanked the Base commander, for organizing the meeting. He noted that it is mutual understanding and cooperation that will cause peace to prevail in the area.
Matters discussed in the security meeting included; the protection of the population and their property, the security of farmers and the mobilization of the population against negative elements in and around the district.
A joint security task force with members drawn from the Somali National Army, Somali National Police and ATMIS forces all based in Janale was formed to harmonise guaranteed security in Janale town and the surrounding areas.
During the discussion, the commanding officers of the 66th Battalion Capt Mustafa Omar Alim, 83rd Battalion Capt Mohamed Noor and the District Police Commander Lt Gawow Axmen Laki, unanimously agreed to work as a team with their counterparts ATMIS forces to deny Al-Shabaab freedom of action against the people of Janale and the surrounding areas.
The Janale FOB Commander Capt Micheal Ojambo called upon every stakeholder to join hands to eliminate anti-peace elements from the area.
Janale district which is 90kms from the capital city of Mogadishu, is among the highly contested areas by Al-Shabaab given its proximity to River Shabelle. It is an agricultural food basket and as such, Al-Shabaab continues laying illegal checkpoints along the pathways and extorting revenues and foodstuffs from farmers and homesteads.
