March 22, 2016: Ethiopian contingent under AMISOM have carried out a landmine clearance operatiom in the southwestern Bakool Province of Somalia following increased losses from roadside mines setup by the al Shabaab militants.
The Ethiopian forces removed explosive ordnances from Garasweyn, some of them at the administrative headquarters of the village, according to the area chief Abdullahi Ali Weydow.
According to local officials, the landmines have been planted by the militants and targeted the administration officials in the region in an area that has significant al Shabaab presence.
Typically, the al Shabaab militants plant landmines that serve as a decoy for a major attack more often than not they target security officials after which they attack, seize weapons, cars and or uniforms. The clearance is among some of the intensified counteroffensive measures by the AMISOM troops to deadlock al Shabaab operation in the south and central Somalia.
