Saturday September 2, 2023
Dhusamareb (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has acknowledged that the country's armed forces retreated from several frontlines following a deadly attack by al-Shabab in the Cosweyne village of central Somalia.
President Mohamud, participating in a Twitter question-and-answer session on Friday night, attributed the retreats to technical errors and emphasized that steps have been taken to raise awareness among the troops and encourage their return to the frontlines. He also admitted that the attack had a significant impact on the government.
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"The government forces have only faced defeat in Cosweyne. The troops will be rewarded to boost their morale and prevent further retreats from the battlefield," he stated.Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been leading the war campaign in Galmudug state in central Somalia for the last five weeks. "The war is ongoing, and I will not cease because our morale is strong. We are fully confident that we will defeat al-Shabab," the president added.
While not naming anyone specifically, President Mohamud insinuated that few people are actively working to sabotage the government's efforts against al-Shabaab, likening them to the terrorist group.
Reports indicate that Somali government troops retreated from El Dheer, Masagaway, Gal'ad, and Budbud in the Galgadud region following a deadly al-Shabab attack on soldiers in the village of Cosweyne on Saturday.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud denied al-Shabab's claim that 178 soldiers were killed in the Cowsweyne attack a day ago. Instead, he said that al-Shabab lost the most and buried their dead in mass graves.