MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – The five countries contributing their troops to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) on Thursday strongly supported a request by the Horn of Africa nation’s government for a 3-month delay of the drawdown of 3,000 peacekeepers scheduled for the end of this month.
In a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, the five ATMIS troop contributing countries mentioned “recent setbacks” in military offensive against Al-Shabaab militants in Galgadud region, including an attack in Osweyne area.
It comes following reports that the African Union rejected the request by Somali authorities for a 3-month suspension of the troop drawdown to prevent militants from taking over areas vacated by ATMIS peacekeepers.
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