* AMISOM move into Puntland "under active consideration"

[cadnaan1]

Somali Islamists driven into north, south pockets -UN envoy

* Al Shabaab continues strikes, despite military defeats

 

* AMISOM move into Puntland "under active consideration"

 

By Edmund Blair and Edith Honan

 

NAIROBI, May 7 (Reuters) - A military offensive has driven Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group out of major strongholds and deprived it of revenue sources, but its retreat to a southern valley and northern hills still poses a threat, the U.N. envoy to Somalia said.

 

The African Union's AMISOM peacekeeping force and Somali soldiers have pushed the group, which wants to topple the Western-backed government, into smaller pockets of territory since launching an offensive last year.

 

But the group has continued to strike Mogadishu and other government-held areas with bomb and gun attacks from bases in the southern Juba Valley and in northern Puntland's Galgala hills, a region outside the African Union's area of operation.

 

"The AU-U.N. have just done a benchmarking review of AMISOM and the Somali national army, as well, and certainly they have recognised that Puntland is an area of concern," U.N. envoy to Somalia, Nick Kay, told Reuters on Wednesday.

 

He said expanding AMISOM's region of operations to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland was "under active consideration", without saying when it might be agreed.

 

The Somali government has said that the Juba Valley, which lies in the far south near the strategic Kismayo port, was the next target for the military offensive, but has not said when.

 

Puntland, which has been slowly drawing closer to the federal government in Mogadishu, has agreed to integrate 3,000 of its forces into the Somali national army, Kay said.

 

On the political front, Kay said Somalia was laying the groundwork for a revised constitution, although preparations had been delayed, and for parliamentary and presidential elections in 2016. He said it was still not clear whether they could be on the basis of one person, one vote.

 

He said the government was committed to a process that is "more inclusive and more representative" than in 2012, when elders chose parliamentary lawmakers for their communities and lawmakers then chose the president.

 

One option would be to expand the number of people choosing the president to include elders, civil society, women's groups and others, he said, adding it was up to Somalia to decide.

 

"We should not worry if the time that it needs to be really cemented takes a bit longer than had been originally anticipated," Kay said.

 

"This is a country facing many problems and challenges, but they are the problems and challenges of a country coming together, rather than falling apart."

 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a surprise visit to Somalia on Tuesday, acknowledged the country's progress and said the United States would start the process to re-establish a diplomatic mission there. (Editing by Susan Fenton)

 

 

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/07/somalia-security-idAFL1N0XY13T20150507

[cadnaan1]

balaayadii up north ayey u socotaa

 

[Tillamook]

Xuux....Ka cararaay!

[Saalax]

You don't need AMISOM to dislodge few terrorists in Galgala mountains.

[burahadeer]

wow puntland & CO at it again for the fourth time sending foreign troops to do their dirty job against hated clans.It was twice in Mogadishu in 92 and 2006,then Kismayo using Kenyan troops and now turned their eyes on the last remaining enemy,somaliland, using Amisom this time under the leadership of their son, prime minister Sharmarke with the help of their otha son abdiweli of puntland & ofcourse with the otha help from 'stolen' jubaland.Their vengeance is then complete, but but what then? to beg Nicholas key and his troops to stay foreva.

Like before always under the pretext of national issue then turn into specific agenda...put Amisom at puntland border, then tell some to act terrorists on the Somaliland side and BUM BUM.

[Tillamook]

You lost the plot a long time ago, Buraha.

 

Your tripe is nothing more than

the shameless machinations of a Mirqaan debilitated hapless secessionist's malfunctioning mind.

 

Every sensible person out there knows that the criminals hiding in the Galgala mountains have been effectively neutralized and that they've been reduced to hurling hand grenades at the Police.

 

The only reason the International community are speaking of the Galgala mountains is because they have concerns that the civil war in Yemen might cause some die hard terrorists to seek shelter in the mountains.

 

And to alley those concerns, the International community must provide more assistance to the local Puntland security forces.

 

You, Buraha, on the other hand can continue to spew your hogwash as you please, but Puntland knows how to handle its business

[burahadeer]

<cite>@Tillamook said:</cite>

 

You lost the plot a long time ago, Buraha.

 

 

 

 

so what am saying is true then.

 

[Holac]

AMISOM is probably never going to setup base in Puntland because people there will not allow it to happen. But I do believe AMISOM is testing the water here with this kind of talk just to gather people's reaction. They are not stupid.

[Adam]

The Ugandese, Burundians and Ethiopians were invited to deploy to Mogadisho by Colonel Abdullahi yusuf aka ine yey as another trick beesha did to submit what he called the anarchist reer xmar how ronic that today his homeregion is.next to be put under "security mandate ", it reminds me with laughter maahmaddi MJs iyo inta madaxmadoow baa isleeg , we shall see when amisomta is deployed to galagala Bari under federalism and implemented by IG Nickas Kay and nuri den dirye .it all comes into plan for 2016-3016 process.