Somalia Government Criticised for Declaring War on Al-shabaab Prematurely

[Deeq A.]

Security forces rescued Haad from Hayat Hotel

Mogadishu (PP News Desk) — Mohamed Hassan Haad, a Mogadishu-based traditional leader, who was rescued from Hayat Hotel, had criticised the Federal Government of Somalia for the slow response to the Al-Shabaab attack on the hotel two days ago.

“It took the government forces two hours to come to the hotel. Neither the President nor the Prime Minister has so far spoken on the horrific attack. More lives could have been saved had the government acted earlier than it had” said Haad. He faulted the government for declaring a war on Al-Shabaab without preparing for the response from the group. “The peace in the capital city is now at stake. The public is disappointed with the government response. There is a major error that must be rectified” said Haad.

Security forces’ response was affected by disagreements over strategy and time

Last month, the Federal Government of Somalia declared counterterrorism operations against Al-Shabaab. The proscribed group released a statement on Hayat Hotel attack and claimed that attackers had left the scene after “a successful martyrdom operation”.

Disagreements over which force leads the rescue operation reportedly contributed to the delay in the government response and resulted in the large number of casualties.

“Mogadishu is a capital city in which parallel forces operate. The director of National Intelligence and Security Agency Mahad Salad one year ago was encouraged clan militias (National Salvation) that challenged the federal security forces” argued a former senior NISA.

© Puntland Post, 2022

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