Source: Agence Djiboutienne d’Information
Hiiraan Online
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Mogadishu, Somalia (HOL) - The Djibouti government stated that it was in the final stages of preparations for sending extra troops to Somalia in order to enlarge its peacekeeping operations in the war-ravaged horn of African nation.
Djibouti now has around 1000 strong force operating in the central Hiiraan region as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Djibouti’s foreign minister Mohamed Ali Yusuf said that his country will soon send about 950 additional soldiers to Somalia.
“The troops are now ready to deploy into Somalia, in the first phase we will send 450 soldiers and the rest 500 soldiers will follow in two months time” the Djiboutian minister announced on Wednesday.
“We have decided to send those troops because we want to consolidate the fight against Al Shabaab militants who are obstacle to peace and stability in Somalia who lacked a fully functioning central government for more than 23 years” the minister added.
Meanwhile, the minister made clear that security in Djibouti has been tightened in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks in the country so as to ensure that terrorism does not spill over into his small nation.
HOL English News Desk