Hiiraan Online
Thursday, October 1, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) ---The United States government has pledged a $1 million funding for a new anti-terrorism project by Somalia’s government and the northern Somalia’s semiautonomous State which would focus on regional policing and counter-terrorism efforts.
In a brief statement from the US Mission in Somalia on Wednesday evening, the US government said that the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government of Somalia and Puntland State to enhance cooperation on police training and countering terrorism.
“The Memorandum of Understanding will provide up to $1 million to expand INL’s current police and counterterrorism assistance programs in Somalia to benefit Puntland State.” The statement said.
The new program which would largely focus on Puntland region’s fight against the stubborn Al-Qaeda linked militants fighting government troops indicates paves the way for a new US strategy that aims creating antiterrorism partners in the horn of Africa nation to fight against Al-Shabab which carried out many deadly attacks across Somalia and neighbouring countries.
As parts of its anti-terrorism campaign, the US military often target top Al-Shabab leaders, killing several leaders of the group. A US drone attack has killed the militant group’s leader Ahmed Abdi Godane last year, however, the group immediately named Ahmed Umar as his successor.
The spread of al-Shabab across borders or internal destabilization in Somalia that allows al-Shabab to regain its stronghold could undermine U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa and result in heightened terrorist threats against the United States or its regional partners, according The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent think tank which tracks down global conflicts.