Highlight
The Al Qaeda linked Islamist group in Somalia has said it is ready to fight the British troops that are to be deployed to the country as peacekeepers.
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledged towards the end of September 2015 that as many as 70 British military personnel could be sent to Somalia to bolster a United Nations-backed mission to support the Somali government against the Al Shabaab.
Summary
Ali Mohamud Rage, a spokesman for the Harakat Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen (Al Shabaab) said Tuesday 6th October that their fighters were ready to meet the British troops who were set to deploy in the country.
His comments were in response to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge last month that about 70 British military personnel could be sent to Somalia to bolster a United Nations-backed mission to support the Somali government against the extremists.
This is the first time Britain has formally joined the international contingent backing the African Union’s long-running efforts against Al Shabaab.
However, the Islamist group fails to understand that the British troops will not be on the frontline in the ongoing offensives against their bases.
The troops deployed to either East African countries will provide combat and medical training, logistical and engineering support for the AU troops.
All in all, the militants are bound to suffer losses that will render them insignificant with the new force entry. British troops are likely to improve the standards of the peacekeeping troops by rendering their superior training and expertise in training, engineering and mentoring of the African troops.
